Kamen Rider Kiva: Bside
by Chaos Invoker
Summary: AU/AR As supernatural creatures called Fangires lay waste to Metro Manila, it's up to Sirius to take up the mantle of Kiva and defend those in need.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Though the locales used in this fic are true-to-life, the story, plot, and characters themselves are purely fictional. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidential.**

**Act 1 - First Gig**

Chapter 1: Kiva Power, Ready

March 20, 2008.

Meet Sirius Regulus Kurogane, Sirius for short - though some of his friends called him 'Sire', for unknown reasons. A high school student at Ateneo de Manila, this year was to be his final year. He was already assured to graduate, thanks to the work he put in - unlike his classmates in class 4-K, he avoided cramming whenever he could, doing most if not all of his work ahead of time.

It was these thoughts that were running through Sirius's head as he washed his face and ran cold water through his hair. He smiled at his reflection; he felt good, _really_ good. And when he was done grooming himself, he stepped out in order to knock up breakfast.

By 7:15 that morning, Sirius had already finished his morning rituals - he'd eaten, taken a bath, brushed his teeth and dressed in his uniform. With nothing left to do, he got his bag, exited the condo, and took a tricycle going to school. It was fine; since he was near school, he could afford to take his time.

As he got off a few minutes later, Sirius remembered something: today was his 17th, and he almost forgot! He felt incredibly stupid; no one forgot their birthday, right? Although, now that he remembered... it was great timing. Their exams were finally over, which meant that today was a good day to celebrate. With this happy thought in mind, he dashed to his classroom, in the area right in front of the Chapel and the Covered Courts...

...until someone cleared his throat. Sirius stopped dead; it was the vice-prefect. Puzzled, Sirius looked at himself; he was wearing rubber shoes!

"S-sorry, sir!" Sirius pleaded as his voice shook. "I-I was rushing this morning - wrong pair of shoes - "

But when he looked up next, he was looking at what looked like a glass sculpture of their vice-prefect. _Strange..._ Sirius thought. _Maybe it's his birthday too, and someone's giving him a glass sculpture of himself?_

With a feeling of mingled puzzlement and relief, Sirius ran on to his classroom; the glass figure crumbled to dust a few moments later.

"Alright, class, it's someone's birthday today..." said Sir Mao, their class adviser. "Sirius, can you come up front for a bit?"

Sirius complied; as the class sang a birthday song for him, he felt himself blushing. When they finished, Sirius made his way back to his chair, but then Mao put a hand on his shoulder. He leaned in, as if to say something.

"Come by the workroom later. I've a present for you."

And then he went back to his seat. "Alright guys, second order of business," Mao resumed. "Next week's graduation practice, and here are the schedules..."

Later that day, Sirius went to the faculty workroom, as Mao had requested. Sure enough, five minutes after he had him paged, Mao opened the door, smiling at his student. "I've got a present for you," he said, then looked behind him. "Kivat!"

A black-and-yellow bat, or what looked like a bat, flew out of the office and around the bewildered Sirius. "This is him, huh, Mao!?" he asked in an eager tone. "Don't worry kid, we'll get along fine!" he added to Sirius, his fanged mouth curling upwards in a smile.

Sirius then looked at his teacher, his own face cracking into an awkward grin. "...I don't know what he is, sir, but... thanks."

He walked to the tricycle terminal, but when he got there, another strange sight met his eyes: glass sculptures of students and drivers alike, lying on the ground. As they crumbled a moment later, Sirius felt something wrap around his neck and pull him backwards. He looked round; what he saw nearly made him scream...

It was a monster, with a reptilian head and stained glass-like patterns all over its body. "Don't struggle, cutie..." it said, in a feminine voice. "You don't need to die painfully..."

Horrified, Sirius desperately tried to free himself, but to no avail; the monster was too strong. It was then that he felt a stinging pain in his left hand: the bat thingy that Mao had given him just bit him on the hand as chains materialized around his waist and fused into a belt. "Put me on the buckle, kid!" the bat said urgently. "If you wanna live!"

Sirius obeyed; chains wrapped around him as the metamorphosis ensued. What emerged from the chains was a figure clad in scarlet armor and bright, yellow eyes. After he got over his surprise, Sirius chopped off the tendrils that wrapped themselves around his neck.

The monster was shocked, but she advanced on Sirius nonetheless; he looked simply too delicious to pass up.

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The King Awakens

Merely a minute after Sirius's transformation, the sun disappeared, replaced by a bright full moon. Whatever this was, it was like something out of a TV show, the kind kids watched on TV; now he was one of the heroes he watched as a child! _Nice present, Sir Mao,_ thought Sirius.

It was then that the monster punched him in the face, sending him crashing into one of the tricycles on the sidewalk. Luckily, Sirius's armor protected him, reducing the force to something not exactly painless, but bearable. He got back to his feet and, flicking his wrist, charged the monster.

Sirius started off by returning the punch to the face he received, followed by a knee to the monster's gut. As she doubled over in pain, he followed through by driving his elbow into the back of her neck, making her kiss the ground. He then jumped back.

"Alright... kid," said Kivat, who was perched on the buckle so that his mouth faced upward, "Take one of the whistles on the right side of the belt and put it in my mouth."

Sirius followed; there was a whistling sound as Kivat bellowed:

"_WAKE UP!_"

The armor and chains on his right leg opened up in the shape of a bat's wings as Sirius leapt high into the air. He then descended back to the earth, aiming a falling front kick at the monster on the ground.

"HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

With a scream, she shattered upon impact, leaving a silhouette of a bat where she had been; all that was left of her was a glowing white orb that floated in midair for a moment, then flew away. Night turned back into day just as Sirius returned to his usual self.

His first action was to ask Kivat, who was flying around him again, a question. "What the hell was that?"

"The monster? It's called a Fangire, Sirius."

He looked round; it was Mao, who was smiling as he clapped his hands. "Not bad for a first fight, I gotta say. Wanna go for a bite? You're probably tired after what happened," he offered; Sirius nodded.

"So, sir," Sirius began after devouring the last of his Cheeseburger Deluxe, "What's a Fangire?"

"They're monsters, obviously," replied Mao. "They feed on the life energy of humans in order to mimic them, leaving them as hollow shells of glass. They're everywhere, hiding among us, waiting for victims..." he trailed off as he drank his iced tea.

"And that glowing thing after you beat them?" added Kivat. "It's their soul."

Sirius's mouth fell half-open in horror. "What!?" he blurted out in alarm. "In that case, how do we stop them? We can't just let them go around sucking people dry, right?" Kivat bobbed up and down beside Sirius in approval.

Mao smiled at his student's reaction. "Well, Sirius, that's where you come in. See... Kivat here? He can transform you into Kiva... and as Kiva, you can fight and kill the monsters." Mao stood up, and placed both hands on Sirius's shoulders. "Don't let me down, alright?"

With that, he left Sirius and Kivat to themselves; the former needed time to let things sink in.

An hour later, Sirius was at Friispirit, a gaming place at the first floor of Burgundy, playing Guitar Hero 3. People were watching him in awe as he managed to perfect _Through the Fire and Flames_, said to be the hardest song in the game. And as he did so, his audience clapped.

Playing along, Sirius turned to them and bowed. "Thank you. Thank you very much."

As he bowed, his eyes lingered on one of the girls in front of him; to him, her smile was worth a million bucks.

_Karina..._

tbc


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Howling Moon

Enter Karina Consolacion, 16 y/o. Sirius's crush since way way back. As his eyes met hers, he blushed uncontrollably, to the giggles of those present; both of them were regular customers here, and often met here after school. "That was pretty good..." she said, smiling. "But wouldn't it have been better if I was singing?" added Karina, to the amusement of Sirius's 'fans'.

He blushed even more; it was such that Sirius had to cover his face with his arms. "Umm... Err... Maybe, yeah..."

"So, then, why don't we do another one, together?" she offered; those around her sounded their agreement. Sirius was really burning, now. They were known as the Friispirit love team, but...

"Err, ok." he managed to say after a sheepish grin. "Why not? We've got a bit of time, anyway!"

And they played, to even more applause from the crowd. Combined with Sirius's amazing dexterity, Karina's heart-melting voice managed to wow the crowd and cause it to swell even more; before long, _the whole shop_ was watching them. And after they finished their last song (First of Summer by Urbandub), they got a standing ovation.

Both Sirius and Karina smiled at their 'audience' when it was over.

"Bye, Sirius! Bye, Rina!"

Both of them were laughing as they left the shop to head towards the tricycle terminal at Ministop, where Karina was going to commute home; she lived all the way in New Manila, two jeepney rides from Katipunan Ave. "Bye, Sirius!" she called as she was walking away. "I'll see you again tomorrow, okay?"

Sirius waved back. When she got on the jeep, Kivat came out of Sirius's backpack. "A good match for you, I gotta say," said the bat. "She seems to be a nice lady, just like the one who was partnered with my father."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Sirius, confused. "You have a father?"

"Kivat-bat-the 2nd, better known as Kivangel. Well, we better go home, Sirius," said Kivat. "It's getting late, and you've got a date tomorrow!"

When they arrived in Sirius's condo unit, they found the caretaker inside, holding a large, wrapped package. "Mikey!" Sirius blurted out upon seeing him. "Who's that from?"

"Your teacher," Mikey replied. "He asked me to make sure you got it. Well, I'm off," he said and walked out the door. "I got some of your pizza, if you don't mind!" he shouted as he reached the elevator at the other end of the hall.

"No problem!" Sirius called back. When the elevator doors closed, he looked at the package, which had a card. He opened it and read.

_Dear Sirius,_

Happy birthday, again!

This isn't an ordinary guitar, the one in the box, although you can still use it like one. It'll play by itself if there's a Fangire running around you - only you can hear it, and you can hear it no matter where you are. Take good care of it, ok?

~Mao

Sirius opened it. It was a guitar in the shape of Death's scythe, the 'blade' body folded so that the edge touched the fretboard. The eyes of the headstock, a goat's skull with curved horns, glowed faintly yellow. "The Death Jammer..." Kivat muttered in a hushed voice as Sirius laid it on the sofa right across his bed. "Well, goodnight, Sirius!" he bid his new owner as he stretched across the bed.

"Goodnight, Kivat," Sirius said as the bat shut off the lights.

Sirius woke up to the sound of a guitar playing. "First thing in the morning and I fight a Fangire, huh...?" he complained as Kivat hovered on his right. "Let's go, then!"

Right outside Burgundy, a girl in a Miriam College uniform was advancing on Karina, who had her back against the building's wall.

"Don't move," said the other girl as she assumed her Fangire form, a black, buglike creature with downward-pointing antennae. "This'll hurt if you move..."

Large, fang-like objects floated in midair over Karina's shoulders. And just as they were about to stab her -

"Get off of her!" shouted Sirius. "Alright, Kivat!"

Kivat bit his hand, causing stained-glass markings to appear on either side of his face. "Henshin!"

Day turned into night as Sirius, then began his attack on the Cockroach Fangire. They seemed evenly matched, trading blows all over the place; Karina, who hid inside the 7-Eleven beside Burgundy, was in awe. "Sirius... be careful..." she whispered.

Before long, though, the Cockroach decided to fight seriously. With unbelievable speed she began her assault on Kiva, who wasn't fast enough to fight back properly. As a vicious side kick sent him crashing through the glass door, Karina screamed; Kivat spoke to Sirius. "The blue one, put it in the belt!"

And so he took the blue whistle and placed it into the slot right above Kivat's mouth. "_Garulu Saber!_"

A curved sword with a blue wolf head on the hilt appeared in Kiva's left hand. Chains surrounded his left arm and his chest armor, which both turned deep blue. Plus, both Kiva and Kivat's eyes turned blue as well as a wolf howled from somewhere.

"It's our turn..." Kivat muttered. "Let's go, Sirius!"

If Sirius was getting pounded earlier, now it was his turn to put the Cockroach in trouble. Not even her speed could match the Garulu form that Kiva was using; in desperation, she tried in vain to dodge the lightning quick sword slashes, but to no avail. And after a few moments, Sirius decided to finish her off.

He put the Garulu Saber in Kivat's mouth; the bat bit it. Sirius then placed the blade between his - or rather, Kiva's - teeth as he soared into the air and prepared his final attack.

"_Garulu... Howling... Slash!_"

The Cockroach Fangire shattered as the Garulu Saber sliced through her.

tbc


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: To Be Kiva

_1 message received._

The beeping of his cellphone awoke Sirius from his sleep. He'd decided to sleep all day after defeating that Fangire downstairs; Karina, meanwhile, was playing somewhere in Katipunan - Friispirit, Skies or wherever. "Wakey wakey wakey wakey!!" screamed Kivat as he saw his master awake, flying frantically all over Sirius as usual. "Weren't you talking about how tired you were?"

"Yeah, but my phone woke me up," Sirius muttered. "Someone texted. Whoever it was, I hope it's important..." And so he checked his inbox; the text turned out to be from Sir Mao. It read:

_Hi Sirius, can you meet me at McDo in an hour? There's something I need to tell you. Reply asap. Thanks._

"...Mao, huh?" pondered Kivat, who evidently read the message, not that Sirius minded. "Well, are you meeting him?"

He thought of it for a moment. If it were just to invite him to hang out, the text would've said so. But if Mao summoned him to meet somewhere, it was usually something important, something that warranted a face-to-face meeting. The question was, what...? Whatever the case, Sirius turned to Kivat, and nodded.

"So, how's Kiva treating you?" Mao inquired, by way of greeting, as he sipped his Coke Float.

It was Kivat who answered this question. "Oh, Mao, he's got talent at this! Just yesterday he and Garulu beat that Cockroach Fangire!" He grinned at Sirius, who (somewhat reluctantly) returned it. Mao smiled for a moment before his face resumed its impassive look.

"Yeah..." Mao began. "While we're on the subject, lemme give you a few lessons on the Arms Monsters."

"The what?"

"Arms Monsters. They fuse with your Kiva form to give you form boosts," explained Mao. "Garulu, for instance - you become faster and somewhat stronger, which you witnessed firsthand. Right?" Sirius nodded. "Yep, Kivat's right, you really are a natural," Mao added, and smiled once more. "By the way, they live with me in my house."

He sighed, then continued.

"BUT," said Mao in a suddenly serious tone, "You shouldn't spend too much time using any single Arms Monster. I mean..." he explained, "The more you do that, you'll eventually lose yourself."

"Sirius was stunned at these words. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Lose... myself?"

"Think of it this way, Sirius," continued Mao. "If you spend time with someone, the more likely you'll end up picking up his character traits, and introjecting them, right? Well," he went on, holding the blue whistle-like device, "If, say, you end up using Garulu too much, you end up becoming like a werewolf - violent, uncontrollable, untamed."

Sirius shuddered. "...Alright, sir," he said. "Thanks for the tip, I'll remember that."

Meanwhile, outside, one of the deliverymen mounted his bike as he prepared to make a delivery. Before he could start the engine, though, he was approached by a teenage boy, who smiled. "I can smell it from here... it's delicious," he said, hungrily. "Your... life."

Fangs materialized in midair and stabbed the deliveryman on either side of his neck, leaving him nothing more than a glass corpse. Mao, Kivat and Sirius, who witnessed this, ran out of the store right away to confront the new Fangire. Sirius stretched out his hand, which Kivat bit; the belt melded into existence around his waist. "Henshin!" he shouted.

The night fell as Sirius morphed into Kiva, but the boy looked unimpressed at the sight. Instead he merely assumed his Fangire form: A thin, black stained-glass creature with catlike ears and glowing green eyes.

As Mao watched, Sirius rushed into battle, kicking the Cat Fangire in the stomach; he reeled momentarily at this, but soon retaliated with a sucker punch to Kiva's face. The Cat followed through with a series of punches and kicks to Sirius, who was taken completely by surprise by the flurry of blows being unleashed on him. A kick to the chest sent him flying into the store; screaming, the people ran out of the way.

Sirius looked around at all of them. "You guys might wanna run now, this guy'll suck you all up if you stick around!" He struggled to get up as the Fangire approached him; behind the Fangire, Sirius could see the people escaping. _Good..._

The Cat looked round as well, and growled angrily. "You'll pay for depriving me of my food!!" he roared as his hands lengthened into claws, with which he hacked, scratched and slashed away at Kiva's chest armor.

He didn't notice that Sirius had managed to put his right foot on his abdomen, and the Wake Up Fuestle into the slot.

"_WAKE UP!_"

As the armor and chains on his right leg opened again, Sirius managed to literally kick the Fangire through the roof. He then jumped through the hole he made, looking at his opponent who lay on his back on the roof. "Bad kitty doesn't get any food," Sirius taunted the Fangire, who growled his displeasure. "Or milk, for that matter," he added.

Sirius then leapt high into the air; the moon shone down upon him as he aligned with the Fangire to aim his kick.

"_DARKNESS MOON BREAK!_"

His kick hit the Fangire in the chest; they both crashed back into the restaurant as the impact formed a bat-shaped crater on the floor. And with a final scream, the Cat Fangire shattered as well; its soul flew away, somewhere.

And as Sirius reverted, Mao was clapping his hands.

"Bravo, bravo!"

tbc


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Shades of Gray

A few days passed since the Cat Fangire wreaked havoc, and Ateneo High was now in full grad practice mode. This whole week consisted of all-morning practice sessions, from 8:00-12:00 PM, but no one complained; besides, there were lots of hangouts in Katipunan to go to after practice.

For many, graduation was the moment they poured blood, sweat, and tears for, for four years. For Sirius, it was the day he'd have to say goodbye to his comrades. He was scared of going to college, scared of being by himself in a new environment – unlike most of his class, he failed the ACET. And the worst of it was, he was always a shy guy, and had difficulty making new friends at first; most of the friends he made were the ones who came to him.

It was these apprehensions that Sirius was brooding on after practice had ended and his classmates all left. Lying on his back on the bench outside their classroom, he felt a mixture of sorrow, regret and confusion. Funny; the moment he'd worked for since four years ago was here, but now he wished he was going to take summer instead – so that he could stay here for a little while longer. Mikey would have a fit if he did so; Sirius's parents, who both died in a plane crash, hadn't raised him to be that way.

Sirius closed his eyes as images of his high school life flashed before him: the first day of his freshman year. The day he met his friends and formed their own clique. The class nights, the retreats (especially their senior retreat… all of those memories were special, and he didn't want to let go of them. Not now.

Without warning, he felt someone's butt sitting on his face. Sirius bit it; whoever it was jumped up as he yelped in pain. "Oww!" he moaned. "What'd you do that for, Sirius!? Biting my ass like that!"

"Jesus, Rock," Sirius sighed as he sat up, annoyed. "Can you _not_ shout that way? Besides, you deserved that bite for sitting on me. What do I look like, a cushion?" he demanded. A moment later, though, he laughed out loud; it was difficult for him to stop now that his best friend was here. When he pulled himself together, he asked. "So, how come you're still here? I thought you were all gonna drink at MOA."

"Nah, I don't drink," said Rock, grinning. "Besides, you're more important. You shouldn't be skulking here like an idiot, Sirius!" he chided him gently. "Well, what's wrong?"

Sirius told Rock, who patted him on the shoulder when it was done. "Dude, if you're gonna miss us, at least it's not one way," he said gently. "Just because we won't be going to the same college doesn't mean we won't remain friends, right? Don't worry about it!" he chuckled.

"That's not it…" mumbled Sirius, almost to himself.

"What, then?"

"I'm rattled by the idea of being around a new crowd, and in unfamiliar territory," Sirius related. "I mean… Rock!" he bowed his head. "We spent practically half our lives here, right? And now I'm off to some place that could be a shit hole, for all I know…" he trailed off.

Rock shook his head at this. "Don't worry about it. You'll be just fine." He stood up, pulling Sirius to his feet with him. "Okay? Let's go home."

The two friends walked down the hallway, passing through the area in front of the 4th year wing, Sirius took a wistful look at the Chapel, which he could see from here at the Admin building; soon, he'd be leaving. He'd only gone to mass there by himself once in his entire high school life, when Karina was hospitalized with dengue, but the place was just as important to him as the rest of the High School.

Then suddenly –

"Sirius, get down!"

Rock and Sirius dropped to their knees as a thick, tongue-like projection hurtled at them rapidly. It retracted to somewhere at the Admin. They turned that way; all that was there was a woman who appeared to be in her 20s, and a man dressed in all-black to her right.

"Richard Alexandros…" the woman muttered.

"How do you know my name!?" Rock demanded, alarmed. "And, who the hell are you!!?"

"I declare the death penalty!" she screamed. With a flash of light, she and her companion turned into monsters; she, a thin, deceptively fragile-looking thing with butterfly wings, he, a reptilian creature with large, round eyes. _Fangire!_ thought Sirius. But that was nothing compared to what he saw next…

On his right, Rock began to growl. A second later, he transformed into a Fangire as well, a grayish, insectoid stained-glass creature with blades on his arms. When he was done metamorphosing, he turned to Sirius.

"Don't worry, I won't let them touch you…" he said to his friend as he charged. "Hyaaah!"

Meanwhile, Kivat popped out on Sirius's shoulder. "Let's go, Kivat!"

"Bite!" yelled the bat as he sank his fangs into Sirius's hand. "Henshin!"

Sirius was gone, and Kiva was in his place as day turned into night. The Fangire that was Rock was busy fighting with the female, neither managing to gain an advantage. Meanwhile, Kiva engaged the Chameleon Fangire in combat, trading punches and kicks as they pretty much laid waste to the surroundings. Kiva kicked him in a very sensitive place; to his horror, though, it didn't have the effect he thought it would.

"That Fangire you killed last week?" said the Chameleon. "That was my wife. You'll pay for that, now!"

He turned invisible. Meanwhile, the female managed to tie Rock to one of the metal posts with thick ropes of silk. She then lunged at Sirius, who returned each of her blows with double the ferocity. With an almighty punch, he sent her into the wall; a crater formed where she hit. But, as Sirius walked closer…

"Augh!"

The Chameleon Fangire reappeared suddenly, attacking him from behind. Sirius tried to guard, but to no avail; both Fangires were converging on him now. He staggered to where Rock was and attempted to free him, but he was sent flying by another high-speed tackle from the Chameleon.

"Sirius!" instructed Kivat. "The purple one!"

He obeyed; as the whistle sounded, Kivat called out the Arms Monster to be summoned. "_Dogga Hammer!_"

Kiva's upper armor turned purple (as did Kivat's eyes) and slightly… robotic as a lightning bolt struck the area behind him. In his hands was a hammer with a large, purple fist for a head. Both Fangires were shocked momentarily; next moment, though, the Chameleon turned invisible again.

It was then that the Dogga Hammer's fist opened, revealing an eye on its palm; Sirius began to spin and whirl like a top while holding it tightly. He heard a rushing sound from somewhere; the Chameleon was surely about to strike, but from where?

"Behind you!" shouted Kivat; as the Fangire made itself known, Sirius smashed its head with the hammer, stunning it. He swung a second time as a peal of thunder sounded; the Fangire shattered from this lethal blow. Sirius then turned his attention to the female one.

"You were lucky…" she muttered as she resumed her human form. "We'll meet again!"

When the smoke dissipated, she was gone; both Rock and Sirius had reverted to their usual forms. _It's over_, thought Sirius.

But he still couldn't get over Rock transforming into a Fangire…

tbc


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Kiva, the Judge

_Sirius found himself in an open field, surrounded by around a dozen Fangires. He flicked his wrist, and, activating the corresponding Fuestle, assumed Garulu form. With inhuman screeches, the monsters all attacked at once, but Garulu's speed allowed Sirius to easily vanquish them all. When the last Fangire had been slain (though strangely, the Fangire corpses remained intact and opaque), he howled at the full moon above, as befitting his current, wolfish persona. Just as he reverted to his default Kiva form, a voice came from behind him:_

"_You forgot me."_

_It was the Fangire lady from last time, the one who attacked him and Rock. With an angry snarl, Sirius took the Wake Up Fuestle and inserted it into the slot above Kivat's mouth; as it activated, the chains and armor on his right leg took the form of a bat's wings. He then jumped up…_

…_But though his kick was a direct hit, Sirius merely phased through the Fangire, who laughed maniacally. She turned around; to Sirius's horror, she changed into Karina. _

"_Look at you!" she said, her voice thick with disgust. "You're a monster, no better than them!" she accused; Sirius understood 'them' to refer to the Fangires. And as she said this, the slain Fangires turned into the lifeless bodies of Sirius's classmates; reverting from his Kiva form, he ran to each one of them, trying to get them to stir. "Sir Mao! Rock! Rock…"_

_As their bodies shattered, Sirius let out a scream of agony._

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!"_

"Wake up, Sirius! Get a hold of yourself!"

Sirius woke up with a start as Kivat bellowed in his ear, his bare chest drenched in sweat. "Just… a nightmare?" Sirius gasped, relieved. For a moment, he thought he really had killed his friends; the thought alone brought chills to his spine. "Kivat…" he mumbled, wanting to ask something. Any small measure of comfort was enough, for now. "Yeah?" replied the bat.

"Tell me… What makes a Fangire, a Fangire?" Sirius asked, getting up to open the curtains a bit more; it was twilight, and he liked the way it looked after a long day. "Is there such a thing as a good Fangire?" Up till now he'd only seen the monsters as monsters, but the revelation that his best friend was a Fangire himself made him stop and think. At the question, Kivat laughed.

"It's true that Fangires suck out the life energy of humans, but yeah, there are good Fangires around," said the bat, smiling. "Not all humans are good, so not all Fangires are bad, right? The one who was partnered with my father was one," he added. "She was a Fangire – and a pretty, powerful one, too – but she fought those of her own kind who attacked humans."

Sirius was awed by the idea; a Fangire, a _female_ one at that, going against her own kind? He felt his own mood lifting; maybe Rock was the same. "It's not whether they're human or Fangire that matters, Sirius," repeated Kivat. "Only the evil ones are our enemies."

Just then, Sirius heard someone knock on the door. He stood and walked over to it, but Kivat had already opened it by the time he got there.

_Speak of the devil…_ Sirius thought, although he was smiling. Now would be a good time to ask what he wanted to know.

It was Rock, who brought a whole pizza and a large bottle of iced tea. "Just thought maybe you were hungry?" he said as he put the food on the dining table and sat. "First things first, Rock," Sirius asked. "Since when have you been a Fangire?"

Rock laughed, choking on his food in the process; when he swallowed it, he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Easy. I was born one," he said. "Both my parents were Fangires, but they raised me not to attack humans for food – not unless in self-defense, anyway. Besides," he added, "We can suck out the life energy of animals instead, right? Fangires thrive on life energy, just not necessarily _human_ life energy."

Sirius took this all in as he too began to indulge in the food. "And the woman who attacked us yesterday…?" he continued. "How'd she know your name, and how come you're being attacked by other Fangires?"

At this, Rock bowed his head; his smile disappeared. "That woman? She was the one who killed my parents. Now she's coming after me to finish the job. See, Sirius," he explained as he finished his first slice and picked up another, "There are Fangires – like me – who choose not to kill humans, and let's just say we're a bit of a minority in a race that sees humans as walking meals," he finished.

"I'm sorry you didn't find out sooner. I didn't want you to get involved in this, although it seems you already are." Rock was looking at Kivat as he said this.

Sirius imagined what Rock's life was like; being attacked by Fangires every other time he went out probably wasn't an ideal life (not that his was that much better by comparison). He smiled at his friend as he helped himself to a third slice of pizza, when suddenly the Death Jammer began to play; he jumped as he heard the sound. "You know what that means, Sirius!" Kivat shouted as he fluttered around excitedly. "Let's go!"

Sirius looked at Rock, who nodded and stood up. _And I was still hungry, too…_ Sirius thought wistfully as he looked at the remaining food on the table. Wolfing down the slice in his hand, he covered the food and rushed out the door, into the elevator.

When they got out of Burgundy, it was in time to see Karina being cornered by yet another Fangire, who immediately turned to see both of them. "What a lucky day…" he said. "I get to eat, AND I get to kill Kiva and the traitor." He immediately turned his back on Karina to concentrate on the two.

"Really, now?" Sirius wondered aloud as he flicked his right hand to the side. "Rock, get Karina somewhere safe, alright?" Kivat then bit his hand. "Henshin!"

Rock nodded, quickly pulling Karina to her feet and taking her inside 7-Eleven. As Sirius was encased in the crimson armor of Kiva, he wasted no time leaping into action as he took the Fangire by surprise with a haymaker, knocking him down. Sirius then continued beating down on the downed Fangire, kicking and stomping on him until he caught Sirius's foot. The Fangire leapt up, tossed him into a nearby car, then began to move extremely fast. Sirius couldn't even see his movements anymore, let alone fight back.

"_Garulu Saber!_"

Seconds seemed to slow down into minutes as Sirius and the Fangire squared off (having conjured a sword of his own to match Kiva's Garulu form), each doing his best to rip the other apart. It was a stalemate; neither managed to gain an advantage until Sirius managed to slash the Fangire across his chest. As he howled in pain, Sirius followed this up by attacking the Fangire's legs.

He jumped back and began to charge at Sirius, but the injury to his legs robbed the Fangire of his speed. Blue turned back to red and yellow as the Garulu Saber vanished and Kiva returned to his default form. Sirius then pulled out one of his Fuestles; it was time to finish this.

"_WAKE UP!_"

Day turned into night as Sirius leapt up into the air before crashing down into the Fangire with a right side kick. He shattered, leaving a bat's silhouette where he had been.

"You were great!"

Sirius turned towards the voice as he reverted; it was Karina and Rock, who left their hiding place when the Fangire was destroyed. "Now that that's over," he said, "What do you guys say we go out somewhere for a while?"

Karina laughed. "Sure, why not?" She jumped on his back as a joke, then quickly got down. "Let's go!"

A mysterious woman, the one from earlier, watched them as they left. So that was their enemies... Kiva and the rogue one? They'd be dealt with soon enough…

tbc


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Fangire Pestilence

March 26th, 11 PM. Most people were no doubt asleep by now; another hard day's work had gone by. Adults needed to rest as another work day awaited them, while the kids were exhausted from having played all day – by now, most schools were on summer vacation. Besides, it wasn't be safe to be out at night; they knew very well that this was the hour that most crimes were committed.

However, Rock was unconcerned as he walked home, unlike most teenagers his age. For one thing, thanks to his Fangire nature, he'd gained a reputation in the area as one criminals should stay away from; they usually ran away the moment they saw him approaching. As for his own kind… he knew they needed to sleep, too. Even they got tired, and whatever else may seem, their bodies had limits of their own. Sleep was every bit as important to a Fangire as it was to a human; a tired Fangire could easily be picked off by someone with the power and ability to do so.

Which was why he was surprised when he got to his house. The first thing Rock took note of was the pretty, long-haired girl standing outside the gate as if waiting for him. This struck him as odd; it was too late for a date, he wasn't exactly a ladies' man, and he certainly didn't remember hiring a whore – not that he was that kind of guy. "Err, miss?" he ventured, approaching the woman. "Are you lost?"

She didn't answer as she looked up at him. As she too approached, a white, Kivat-ish being with red eyes flew to her and zoomed around her as if she was the atomic model. "Kivara," she said, presumably referring to the bat. "Henshin."

It was just as it was with Sirius. The armor that encased her appeared very similar to Kiva, the most notable difference being her armor's color scheme. Instead of scarlet armor and yellow eyes, this one had white armor and red eyes, similar to her bat familiar. "I am Lilith, Rider of Pestilence… I am your death!"

Meanwhile, at Burgundy, the Death Jammer began to play. "Sirius, you know what that means!" called Kivat as he fluttered around excitedly, expecting Sirius to jump to his feet at any minute. "Let's go!"

However, to his dismay, his human partner snored on. Exasperated, Kivat swooped down and bit Sirius on the neck; he promptly leapt out of bed as he screamed in pain. "What the hell was that for, Kivat!?" he yelled. "Waking me up that way – huh?"

He heard his guitar playing, and that meant only one thing: a Fangire was on the loose. It also meant that the Fangire in question was responsible for waking him up. _Whoever the fucker is, I'll make him pay for that,_ thought Sirius. _Just because they don't sleep doesn't mean they can disturb those who do…_

"Alright, Kivat! Let's go!" he shouted as he blitzed out the door, leaving Kivat hurrying after him. "Wait for me!"

Meanwhile, things didn't look too good for Rock. He held his own at first, but he was quickly and utterly being decimated by Lilith. Not only did his attacks have little effect, the enigmatic female Rider countered with greater force. He was lying on the ground before long as Lilith took out one of the whistle-like devices on her belt. Rock thought he knew what was coming, and if he was right… he smiled grimly at the thought.

"_WAKE UP!_"

Rock saw Lilith leap into the air and become a drill, her sword acting as the tip. It would be the last thing he ever saw. But then –

"What - ?" Lilith muttered in shock as her final attack was somehow deflected. And then she saw that crimson armor. "Kiva!"

Rock looked up at Sirius, who turned out to have been his savior. "Careful, Sirius," he warned, "She's a lot stronger than she looks!"

"Hm, we meet at last…" she addressed Sirius, performing the swordsman's salute: she placed the blade in front of her before bringing it down to her side with a diagonal slash. "Kiva. I don't know who you are, but you'll pay for aiding a rogue like him!"

And with a battle cry, she charged Sirius with an overhead sword strike, which he dodged. Unlike the Fangires whom he had fought so far, this one actually gave hit quite some fun. Maybe he got too used to fighting the monsters that taking on another Rider threw him off? Or maybe, he didn't expect her to be able to put up a fight like she was right now. As a result of Sirius's absentmindedness, he didn't see the kick to his gut coming, and thus was sent reeling backwards.

And just as she had with Rock, Lilith took out her Wake Up Fuestle again as she assumed a stance, the tip of her blade pointed at Sirius, who took out his own. However, before either of them could evoke it…

Kivara flew off Lilith's belt, squeaking frantically as she flew around her partner. "Sorry, mistress, but we're being summoned right now," she said. "The Queen says it's urgent."

Lilith looked at both Rock and Sirius as she drew her thumb across her throat. "You were lucky… We'll meet again!"

She reappeared outside the doors of a mansion that served as their base of operations. When she entered, she saw that she was the only one they were waiting for: her fellow Riders as well as the Queen had taken their positions already. Lilith took her place beside a Rider in dark armor: the Rider of Famine, Arc. The Queen cleared her throat; all eyes were upon her. "So, Lilith," she asked. "Did you manage to carry out your task?"

Lilith kept her silence at this; the Queen read the answer in her silence. "May we know why?"

"It was Kiva, Your Highness," explained Lilith. "He – "

The Queen smiled at Lilith; she knew that that had been the case. "I thought that might be the case. I've seen them, Kiva and the rogue one… They're best friends," she explained. "Lay off them, for now. Focus on eliminating other traitors. But," she qualified, "IF either of them rear their ugly head, you know what to do."

"It's her, Sirius!" exclaimed Kivat, back in Burgundy. "I'd recognize her anywhere!"

Sirius was busy tending to Rock, who needless to say got spanked by Lilith in a major way. Not only did he feel beaten up, his shoulder had a moderately deep gash there from Lilith's sword – which Sirius wrapped up in a bandage. It was a good thing that he was a Fangire; he'd heal up in no time. But…

"SIRIUS, ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME!?"

That made him jump. "O-oh, sorry, Kivat! I was patching this guy up," he pointed to Rock. "What was that?"

"The one with the woman earlier?" began Kivat. "That was Kivara, my ex-fiance. And if Kivara's involved…" he trailed off.

"…We're in for some deep shit, boys."

tbc


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: White Knight

The night before Graduation Day, Mao was in front of a mirror in his cubicle, reflecting on recent happenings while playing with his PSP. Finally, after a year with class 4-K – his first moderating class – here was their graduation. All of them were graduating, thanks to their cohesive nature; they were guys who wouldn't just stand by and watch while a classmate flunked his classes. And in the rare cases that it did happen, Mao used his uncanny (some would say unnatural or even unethical) ability to charm the Principal or the teacher involved to let his student off the hook.

However, none of his students concerned him more than Sirius – the first one among them he had gotten to know, and the one he was closest to. Among all of them, Sirius was the one who Mao had touched the most, and as a result Mao was the teacher he trusted and even loved as an adoptive brother. Mao knew that they had a bond _practically_ bordering on brotherhood, and so did Sirius; it's just that the latter didn't know just how deep it was.

And, judging from what Kivat had been telling him – in his occasional nocturnal visits to his old master – Sirius wore the mantle of Kiva quite well. It'd only been a week, but the kid already racked up quite a kill record where the Fangires were concerned. And Mao learned Rock's nature as one of them, too (though to his relief, Sirius was surprisingly accepting of this, or maybe he was just naïve that way). Well, at least he found out that not all of the monsters actually are monsters, right?

On a grimmer note, though, he'd encountered one of the Riders of the Apocalypse already: Lilith, who attempted to give Rock his death sentence. Mao knew that they were getting rid of the occasional odd Fangire who respected human life, but just why they hunted Rock with particular zeal escaped him. Of course, with their Queen… _She messed up my life too, actually, _thought Mao. _Just as they did Sirius and Rock and God knows who else –_

He dropped his handheld as he gave over to a violent coughing fit. And when it was done, Mao saw blood on his handkerchief and was horrified. It was becoming more often, and for it to happen to him…

_I can't. Not yet. These kids still need me…_

A while later, at the Principal's office, Father Lucien was having a discussion with Andrew (who, for Graduation Day, was in charge of security) over what would happen tomorrow night. "What's your plan, then, Andrew?" he asked. "We both know that monsters have been running around recently. We need our young men to be safe on the most important night of their lives so far."

The one he was talking to, Sir Andrew Seroza, moderator of class 4-A, smiled at him. "Don't worry about it, Father," he assured the priest. "One of my students has it all taken care of. He says his parents will take care of it." An image of the said student showing him a sleek, high-tech looking knuckle duster flashed through his mind, along with his assurance of his father's support – he was head of some arms company.

"I'm glad to hear that," sighed Lucien, a bit wearily. "The last thing we need right now is for something to go wrong during their Graduation. I heard there was a day after the exams that –"

He couldn't bear to continue. Apparently, around a hundred of their students vanished without a trace – they had a job explaining it as a mass kidnapping. Andrew, who remained standing, put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Knowing my student, sir, everyone'll be fine!" Andrew reaffirmed as he gave a thumbs-up. "His father's providing the personnel and the weapons for them! Just put your faith in them, and in God, Father. Nothing will go wrong."

"I pray for all our sakes, you're right, Andrew…"

Meanwhile, at the shopping center in Eastwood, a Fangire was running loose. There were already quite a few glass corpses on the ground, and the monster now set his sights on a young man and who appeared to be his little brother; fangs materialized over the child's shoulders.

"Steve, don't let him get me!" the child pleaded, scared; he hugged the older boy around the legs. The one called Steve pulled out a knuckle duster and punched it at the air in the Fangire's direction; the resultant energy blast blew him away. He then punched his hand with the knuckle duster; "_Ready,_" said a monotonous, robotic voice.

"Henshin," said Steve as he inserted the knuckle duster into a slot on his belt. "_Fist on._"

After a gold flash, Steve was clad in shining white armor, with gold on his pauldrons as well as a golden cross on his helm that opened up to reveal his eyes. He looked at his brother, who let out a gasp of awe, to say:

"Ron… Leave him to me."

Steve wasted no time in letting loose a volley of merciless punches on the Fangire, who felt the force of every blow, as his brother Ron cheered him on. _You tried to touch my little brother, huh!?_ thought Steve as he continued his assault on the apparently helpless Fangire. _You'll pay for that, punk!_

Before long, the Fangire was on all fours in front of Steve as if begging him for mercy. He responded by stomping and kicking at the fallen monster, who cried out with pain at every blow. And then, finally, with one last almighty punch, the Fangire shattered as Steve reverted to his usual form. He then turned to his little brother and hugged him. "You okay, Ron?" he asked. It was a good thing that his dad's new toy was working well, or else… his stomach clenched at the thought.

The next morning, Sirius woke up early as Kivat bit his hand. "Sirius, you don't wanna be late for your graduation, do you?" he asked as Sirius sat up on the bed and yawned loudly. "Thought not. Better get prepared, then!"

And an hour later, Sirius was done eating, brushing and taking a bath. But the outfit was what took up the most time; he let Kivat be the judge of what he was gonna wear. "THAT one," said Kivat, finally, as Sirius donned a trenchcoat over a white polo shirt and slacks. "Well, we're all set, right? Let's go –"

As he fell silent, both he and Sirius heard the strings of the Death Jammer being plucked gently; the tune was soft, but rather upbeat. "Fangire, huh…?" Sirius muttered. "It's not particularly loud," said Kivat in reply, "So it might not be hunting yet. But better stay safe, right? I'll be watching you from somewhere!"

And when they got to school, it was barely in time for the traditional Baccalaureate Mass in the Covered Courts; Sirius arrived just as Sir Mao prepared to lead his class inside.

"You made it," he said, smiling. "Well, class, let's go!"

Sirius couldn't help but notice the tune gradually becoming louder, though. _It's here, then…_

tbc


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Trigger Happy Princess

After the Mass, the seniors went back to their respective classrooms for lunch, which had been provided by the school itself. It wasn't bad either; they apparently got some nice restaurant as their caterer, without needing to collect a fee – apparently, it was covered by their tuition. Besides, it was probably the last meal they'd share as a class, and so no one dared miss it. Whether they looked forward to the moment of farewell, or dreaded it, as was Sirius's case, they opted to make the most of the last day they would spend with their comrades.

As talk buzzed around him, Sirius sat in a corner, greedily wolfing down his tenderloin steak. It was to be his last meal at Ateneo High, so he milked it for what it was worth. To an observer, it would seem that he was acting like a complete glutton, but it was more that that. He didn't want to face the finality of this day, that there would be no coming back next year.

It was then that Sirius felt a hand on his shoulder; it was Mao. "Sirius, can you come over here for a second?" he asked. "There's some guys I'd like you to meet."

He walked over with Mao to the area outside his classroom, where two men and a teenage girl were eating quietly. "Hi guys," Mao called their attention; they all focused on him. "This is him," he added as he gripped Sirius's shoulder slightly. One of them, a badass (for lack of a better word) looking, 30-ish man wearing rose tinted shades shook his hand. "Name's Lupin," he said. "That Garulu Saber you like summoning so much? That's me." He laughed Mao slapped Sirius on the back. "We'll get along fine, kid!"

"Arnold," said the other guy, a musclebound giant. "Also known as Dogga." Then he went back to eating _whole steaks_, including the bones, on his plate.

Which left the girl, who gave Sirius a cute smile. "I'm Mizuna," she said. "Master. Promise me you'll summon me soon, alright?"

"A strange bunch," Sirius told Mao later that afternoon as the class prepared for the ceremony itself; they were what he _least_ expected the Arms Monsters to look like… although he had to admit, he felt like taking some lessons in badass from Lupin. "The girl, though…" he broke off, deep in thought. Mao laughed out loud.

"Taken a liking to her, huh?" Mao teased him. "She's 120 years old, even if she does look like a cute little girl. Besides," he added, "You've got Karina!"

A church bell tolled from somewhere; everyone stopped whatever they were doing, stood up, and lined up outside in a single file. "Alright, gentlemen," Mao said as he faced his students. "This is the moment you've worked for since 1st year. Relish it! And…" he hesitated as he looked at Sirius in the middle of the line, then continued. "I'm… proud and happy to have been your teacher. Visit if you guys have time, ok?"

They all nodded. Mao smiled and looked down as a tear formed out of the corner of his eye. "Alright guys, move it!"

Around half an hour later, the admin and guests made their speeches already. It was the same old speeches challenging them to be men for others, as Ateneo's thrust was supposed to mold them into. The same old exhortation to give more that what was expected of them. The same thing about giving everything for the greater glory of God. But this time, not only did Sirius bear with it, he listened attentively; this would be the last speech he would hear in this venue.

Soon, the honor awardees were called, one by one, as they received their certificates and medals from Father Lucien, the Principal. Sirius wasn't among them, though he felt no regret for this. For one thing, it was a generally held notion that to be an honor student in Ateneo High meant working yourself like a dog. Besides, his grades weren't too shabby anyway; in fact, Sirius was sure that a good number of the non-awardees would have been honor students anywhere else. Regardless, he applauded them, particularly those from his class – Rock was among them.

Just as the students of each class were being called, though, there was a furor at the back that caused quite a panic. Out of nowhere, about a dozen Fangires were attacking and sucking the parents and guests dry; those still capable fled the Covered Courts in terror. Only Rock, Mao, Sirius, some guy from 4-A, and Karina (who had been invited by both Sirius and Rock) were still inside. Sirius then turned to his teacher.

"Sir, take Karina and go!" said Sirius as Kivat bit his hand. There's too many of them! We'll handle this –" he said as he looked at Rock, who was beside him in his Fangire form. Meanwhile, Steve took out his knuckle duster and punched it into his hand. "_Ready,_" it said. And as the monsters advanced, both Sirius and Steve shouted the same thing:

"Henshin!"

But though Sirius, Rock and the white Rider managed to last for a bit, the sheer numbers difference caught up with him; Sirius, even with Kiva's armor, could hardly take on five Fangires at once. Rock and the A-boy only managed to hold out since they teamed up together to take on the seven remaining monsters. Just then, Sirius remembered his promise to Mizuna: that he would summon her soon. Maybe now was the time?

Sirius, you need to get back some!" said Kivat urgently. Sirius did so, and, while not knowing what or why he was doing it, pulled out the green whistle. He then inserted it into the belt.

"_Basshaa Magnum!_"

At Gateway, where the Arms Monsters were doing the groceries, Mizuna heard the call of the Basshaa Fuestle. _Master Sirius!_ she thought. "Alright guys," she said to Lupin and Arnold. "Take care of things here first, I'm being summoned!"

Kiva's yellow eyepieces became green, as did his chest plate and his right arm. When the transformation was done, Sirius held a green, gun-shaped weapon in his hand. And as he surveyed the battle, which became a beatdown for Rock and the white guy, he heard Mizuna's voice in his head:

_I'll guide you, master!_

"_Basshaa Bullet Time!_" announced Kiva, in Mizuna's voice.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Mizuna took over, picking off each of the enemy Fangire with pinpoint accuracy. From Rock's point of view, it was like the Fangire who were beating down on them just moments ago were now reeling in pain with no apparent cause. Mizuna, meanwhile, decided that she'd better end this quickly – otherwise, both Rock and the other one might be beaten to death.

"_Basshaa Bazooka!_"

A flash of light later, the Basshaa Magnum became a missile launcher of sorts that Mizuna tucked under her arm. An extremely large ball of water formed at its mouth as she prepared to launch…

_Basshaa Overkill Barrage!_

The large ball exploded into a dozen even smaller water balls which homed into each of the twelve Fangires, paralyzing them and turning them to their fragile state. And as the Basshaa Magnum reverted to its usual form, Mizuna shattered each of the defeated Fangire with a single shot.

Later…

"Thank you for your efforts, gentlemen," said Father Lucien to Sirius and Steve with the rest of the batch watching. "Because of your quick action, many lives were saved tonight," as he laid hands on each of their foreheads.

"No way, Father," Steve said, as he bowed his head. "I should've noticed them sooner!"

"Me too," echoed Sirius in agreement.

Father Lucien smiled sadly. "There's nothing we can do about them now, except not to forget… You're forgetting, God gave us our lives," he said. "And he can take them away anytime." With nothing to say, Sirius and Steve both bowed their heads in silence.

The rest of the batch followed. Mao, watching them from a corner, was seething with outrage. _It seems they're responsible,_ thought Mao bitterly. _Dammit! Queen, I'll see you dead for this!_

tbc


	10. Chapter 10

**Act 2 – Opening Act**

Chapter 10: King in Exile

The day after graduation, Mao was on the way home after chilling out with the other teachers at Eastwood. It was probably the most tragic graduation he'd ever been to; he still couldn't get the image of the glass corpses strewn across the Covered Courts. As it was, it was fortunate that it had stopped there. If Sirius, Rock and that other guy (who seemed to be one of Andrew's boys) weren't there, who knows how many more would've been drained of life?

It took his toll on Mao, and he knew it; why else would beer bottles be littering his home? Even the Arms Monsters noticed it, too - Mizuna in particular was complaining about it, telling him that he ought to set a better example for Sirius… he smiled at the thought. _Of course, she likes him,_ Mao noted to his pleasure. However, the issue was that if she attempted to pursue, it'd be a clear-cut case of child abuse. A 120 year old Mermaid hooking up with a 17 year old boy… he laughed to himself as he imagined it. If that wasn't child abuse, he didn't know what was.

Just then, Mao heard a child's scream. Swearing fluently, he ran off to help whoever it was.

Near one of the taxi stands, a Fangire advanced on what appeared to be a ten year-old kid, who was crying as she cowered in the corner. She closed her eyes, as if doing so would make the monster go away. A second later, he prepared to deal the _coup de grace…_

But before he could even touch her, he was tossed aside by another, amber-colored Fangire, this one bearing distinct likeness to Baphomet, the goat demon. "Bastard…" the other one muttered as he prepared to attack. But the Goat Fangire was long gone before he even threw his punch, countering with a vicious roundhouse kick to the midsection. And when it was down, the Goat finished it with a blast of blue flame, then put a hand on the still-scared (although not as much as a moment ago) little girl's shoulder.

"Are your parents around?" he asked her; she nodded. "Good. Just have them fetch you right here."

And next thing she knew, he was gone. All of a sudden, the Goat Fangire was gone; Mao replaced him, clutching his chest in panic and in agony. It was that feeling again, the feeling that reminded him just how much time he had left - in other words, not very long. _Dammit…_

_Sirius…_

Mao didn't know that one of the Queen's agents had his eye on him from afar.

Sirius was in for a shock the next day, when someone rang the bell to his condo unit. When he opened it, it turned out to be a teenage girl with long, dark hair and a heart-shaped face: Mizuna, who beamed at him. Kivat snickered as he blushed. "Good morning, Master!" she greeted him brightly. "Mao told me to stay here and keep you company," she explained as Kivat swooped down on her. "Don't worry Kivat, I haven't forgotten you!" she laughed, caressing the bat as she looked at the clock: 12 PM.

"Master, have you eaten yet?" she asked. And when Sirius shook his head, Mizuna smiled and clapped her hands. "Why don't I make lunch for you, then?"

An hour and a half later, they'd finished. Sirius was amazed; Mizuna really knew her stuff – of course, she would, having had 120 years of experience. "I do it all the time for Mao and the others," she explained. "At any rate, I'm glad you liked it, Master!" she beamed once more, giggling. "We'll get to know each other very well, I'm sure. Speaking of which," she added, "D'you wanna go out?" At this, Kivat laughed out loud; Sirius, though, blushed.

"N – no way, that's too sudden –"

"C'mon, Sirius, what harm can it do?" cut in Kivat. "You deserve a treat, don't you think? Besides, Mizuna won't eat you or anything." He said this as he grinned at her. "You have my word on that."

Sirius was silent for a few moments before nodding. "…Ok. What about you, Kivat?" he asked, seeing his partner perched on the window. "Going to Sir Mao?"

"Yep," the bat replied. "He's got something we need to talk about." _His will, to be exact,_ thought Kivat as he said this. "Enjoy your date, you two!" he cried as he flew out the window.

"It's not a date!" Sirius protested, but at that moment Mizuna was already dragging him out the door.

Meanwhile…

"Your Highness, we've tracked down His Majesty," said a Rider with white armor and blue eyepieces. "He was defending a young girl from one of our subordinates."

The Queen's brow furrowed at this. The former King's beliefs and ideals were everything that went against Fangire nature. For instance, he defended humans, that which their kind considered as playthings. Whereas their elders taught that humans were to be killed and eaten without hesitation or regret, he enacted a law forbidding wanton violence against them. It was the reason she and her Riders deposed him in the first place – and killed her predecessor in the process.

"If you ask me, Your Highness," continued the Rider, "It would be in our best interest to eliminate him now! If he gathers like-minded Fangire to his cause, he might be able to mount a revolt against us!" he continued, bowing; there was a hint of gravity in his voice. The Queen motioned for him to stand.

"Saga," she said. "No. Don't touch him. I made the mistake of letting him live, and so I'll be the one to fix that. I'll," she added, as a dark bat with yellow eyes hovered over her shoulder, "Execute him myself."

As for Mao, he was at his home, sitting in front of a laptop computer. He was in a lot of pain lately, and that transformation yesterday didn't help any. _I've survived being booted from the throne,_ thought Mao. _I've survived assassination attempts from them, but I'm gonna die of an illness like some poor idiot…_ he smiled grimly at the cruel irony of his situation.

Just then, though, he heard a rush of wings and knew that he'd arrived. "Mao, you look terrible!" observed Kivat as he saw how pale his old friend was. "Here, lemme bite you –" he said as he swooped toward Mao's hand; his fangs had healing properties. But Mao shook his head.

"No," he refused gently. "I'll die anyway, no matter what we do. The reason I called you here is… my will, right?" he confirmed, not that he needed it. "This whole place, everything here –" Mao looked around, "When I'm gone, it'll all go to Sirius. As will this letter," he added, pointing to a sealed black envelope beside his laptop. "And when that happens, you free _him_ as well, alright?"

At this, Kivat suddenly bobbed up and down as if in protest. "What? Why!?" he cried out, aghast. If it was possible, he didn't wanna see _him_ again. But Mao smiled and shook his head.

"Sirius will need his power if he'll go up against them," he explained. "The three of you are in this together, Kivat. Please, swear to me!" he practically pleaded as he placed a hand on Kivat's head. "You'll free him when I die."

After a few moments of hesitation, Kivat agreed. "Good. Now…" he picked up another letter, this one blood-red in color. "Give this to the Queen. Tell her I want to settle things. No need to argue," he added when Kivat looked defiant. "I'm dying anyway, right? I at least deserve a more dignified death than dying in my sleep!"

Again, Kivat agreed, flying out the window with the letter in his mouth. Sirius watched him leave, then let out a sigh as he went back to typing something on his laptop.

_Sirius… my son…_

tbc


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Goddess of War

While Sirius and Mizuna were on a date – err, outing – somewhere, trouble was brewing at Katipunan's LRT station. As they debarked, some of the passengers fell to the floor as glass corpses, having their life energy drained by a pair of giant fangs, then shattered. In a terrified panic, the rest of them stampeded their way up the stairs. The Fangire, seeing his food running up the stairs, gave chase, specifically opting to target a young boy who was trailing behind. But before he could touch him…

There was a small explosion of white energy as the Fangire was blasted into the nearby wall, followed by the sound of bullets. The boy turned to see who it was: a woman, in her twenties, holding a knuckle duster in her right hand and a submachine gun in her left. "Run!" she said to the kid, who obeyed immediately. With him out of the way, she turned her attention back to the monster, whose arms suddenly reformed themselves into hammer-like projections.

"Monster…" she said. "God made a big mistake when he let your kind live," She then punched the knuckle duster into the floor, creating a small creater. "_Ready,_" said a rasping, robotic voice that seemed to come from it.

"Henshin!" shouted the woman as she slid it downwards into her belt. "_Fist on._"

A bronze, armored figure materialized in midair and encased her, flashing white as it did so. When the transformation ended, she was clad in white armor, akin to the one Steve had donned, with a cross where her face was; the one difference from his version was that the cross didn't open to reveal her faceplate. She then swept her right arm to the side as she assumed a fighting stance. "Those lives you took… return them to God!"

The monster roared as it charged the woman, who followed its lead. Their punches met, sending the both of them tumbling backwards; good thing she landed on her feet. She wasted no time going on the offensive, hitting the Fangire with hard, fast blows that left it gasping for air. Each attempt it made at counterattacking only led the woman to punish it further. And with a side kick to the gut, she sent it crashing into the stairs.

With the intent of putting the Fangire out of its misery, she took out a white whistle on the side of her belt and plugged it into the buckle.

"_Ixa Knuckle - Rise Up._"

She then took the Ixa Knuckle in her right hand and swept it to her side, as she did earlier; white energy seemed to be playing on the knuckle's tips. The monster charged at her once more with an unearthly roar, but she didn't give an inch. She crouched slightly, drawing her right fist back.

And as the Fangire reached point-blank range, she drove the Ixa Knuckle full-force into its chest, turning its dark-purple hued body into a stained-glass sculpture; the left hook that followed shattered it completely. It was at that moment that her armor dissolved and she replaced the Ixa Knuckle in the pocket of her jeans. She answered her phone, which began to ring.

"This is Hilda," she said. "What, another attack?" She sighed as she popped a piece of candy in her mouth; today was a very exhausting day. "Alright, I'm there."

Unknown to her, the security cameras captured the scene on video…

That night, at an office building in the business district of Makati City, Steve and his father watched the footage of the battle; needless to say, it came as an utter shock that the Ixa System, supposedly the exclusive property of Steve, was being used by someone else; a woman, at that! He watched her as she took care of the Fangire, torn between disdain and admiration as he held his own Ixa Knuckle in a death grip. She was good; about as good as, if not better than him.

When the video finished, his father spoke. "It can't be…"

"What is it, dad?"

"We did make a prototype Ixa way back in '86," explained Steve's father. "We assigned it to a nun who took part in the People Power Revolution, in case things got bloody. With a mad dictator like Marcos, it was natural that we take precautions, right, son? Even then," he added, voice swelling with pride, "Ixa turned its user into a one-man army – not something to sneeze at, considering the limited technology we had back then, eh?"

Steve grinned at his father; if Ixa was that strong 22 years ago, how much more now? At the same time, though, he figured that something that powerful would come with correspondingly debilitating backlash. And the next thing his father said proved him right:

"Unfortunately, it still had technical problems. Like, say, if you use it for too long it'll hurt horribly," the older man observed. "Of course, that still holds true for _your_ Ixa, but the time limit's a lot more forgiving in your case. For her to use it like she does…" he finished, "She must be something else."

Steve couldn't help but agree with this assessment. "What should I do then, dad?" he asked.

"If – and I'm sure you will – you encounter her, try to bring her here," replied Steve's father. "We may be able to upgrade her system to match yours. Besides," he added, "In the fight against Fangires, we need all the help we can possibly get."

"And Kiva?" asked Steve, referring to his batchmate whom he had fought alongside during the graduation. "I've fought alongside him, dad, he seems to be on our side as well!"

At this, Steve's father bowed his head. "It's… too early to tell," he said as he looked at his son. "Keep an eye on him a little while longer. Then we'll decide," he finished.

In his condo at Burgundy, Sirius was practicing guitar on the Death Jammer as Kivat and Mizuna watched, the latter looking at him with misty eyes; not only did the music turn her on, so did Sirius's voice – as did Sirius himself. He refused to look at her as he played, focusing his eyes on the carpet, although his cheeks were bright red by now. When he had played the last note, she clapped wildly; it was here that he forced himself to look at her.

"T-thanks," he stammered, pink in the face; it was like this whenever there was a girl in front of him, but more so in Mizuna's case; being more than human, her beauty was correspondingly unearthly. In fact, those who saw them earlier were shooting glances at her – guys out of desire, girls out of envy. She giggled in that manner only she could, causing Sirius to feel the sensation of butterflies in his stomach.

"I can see now why Mao picked you, Master," she said admiringly, smiling as she did so. "I'm surprised you aren't taken yet!"

Sirius hid his face as he disappeared behind his PSP, Kivat laughing on his shoulder. "Stop it Mizuna, you're making him blush," he said teasingly. "He's not used to girls, let alone _Mermaids_, telling him these things!"

"Oh shut up, you stupid bat."

Meanwhile, Mao heard someone lurking in his front yard. He went out the door to see who it was; sure enough, the glowing red eyes of Lilith greeted him. "Good evening, Your Majesty," she said, performing her salute. "Her Highness sent me to fight in her place."

Understandably, Mao was disappointed and incensed. He asked the Queen, specifically, to come and settle things. If he was going to die, it wasn't going to be at the hands of one of her amateur underlings. He doubted this little girl even knew the first thing about being a Rider! Nevertheless, he smiled as he bowed slightly, preparing for battle. "You're not the one I want to fight," he said. "But since you came all the way here, I'll be sure to entertain you!"

He grinned, showing his white, even teeth, as he morphed into the Goat Fangire.

tbc


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Sinner and Saint

Despite his impending death, Mao's fighting skill was still as formidable as ever, if not more so. Lilith, who had manhandled Rock like it was nothing, could do little to defend against the ex-King's relentless assault; it was as if five of him were attacking at once. Before long she was hurting everywhere. She marveled at his level of power; had the Queen not told her, she wouldn't have believed that he was dying.

The Goat Fangire kicked Lilith from one side, but next moment, he was gone. Mao then followed it up by punching her in the face, sending her crashing into a nearby wall; there was a crater where she hit.

Meanwhile, Mao approached the fallen Rider, shaking his head. "I told you," he said, "My business isn't with you. I've no intention of letting you kill me, but neither do _I_ want to kill _you_." To prove his point, he reverted from his Fangire form. "Now go."

Lilith, though, was adamant. With a superhuman leap over Mao's head, she placed her blade in Kivara's mouth, charging it with energy. "Don't tell me what to do, traitor King…!" She then ran at Mao with a splitting battle cry, her sword held in a reverse grip. Mao let out a sigh of weariness.

"Guess you won't listen until I spank you…"

Mao once again went Fangire as he parried the slash with his arm, from which protruded a blade resembling a goat's horn. He then drove his other one into Lilith's stomach, sending her flying. She screamed in pain as she reverted to her human form, her face contorted in agony.

"Had enough yet?" Mao asked, his voice filled with genuine concern. "As the former King, let me give you a piece of advice: ask yourself if this really is the way to go. Are we _really_ that different from humans that we need to suck them dry?"

Lilith didn't answer; she merely glared at Mao as Kivara started flying around her. In a flash of light that pierced the darkness of the night, the two disappeared.

The next morning, Hilda sipped coffee as she sat inside a certain Starbucks in Makati City. Just a day after destroying not one, but _two _Fangires, she was going to be hired to take down another. She wasn't sorry for it, though. Not because it paid her well, but because she hated them with a passion; she lost the closest thing to a mother she had because of them. It was the main reason she became a Fangire Hunter in the first place.

The sound of the door opening made her look up. It was Rayne, her handler, accompanied by a woman in a hooded black cloak; they drew the eyes of other customers especially because of the latter's clothing. They took their seats opposite Hilda, who frowned slightly. "Sure took your time getting here," she muttered. "Well, get to it, then. Gimme the target!" she said as she drained the last of her coffee. "He's as good as gone."

She punched the air in front of her. Rayne swept her long sheet of hair behind her as she smiled, then took out a picture from her pants pocket: it was a teenage boy, wearing a light blue polo shirt and khaki pants. Hilda's expression turned to one of distaste when she saw who her next hit was going to be. "You want me to kill a _kid_?" she blurted out incredulously.

Wordlessly, the woman in black put another photo on the table; this time, Hilda's eyes narrowed. It was a Fangire, presumably the boy from the first photo. The scenery definitely pointed in that direction, in her opinion. She brought her eyes back up to meet their client's, which were like glaciers as she stared back at Hilda.

"They come in all shapes and sizes," she stated in a grave voice as she put her finger on the first photo. "He hasn't attacked anyone yet, but it's only a matter of time. As for the fee, I'll pay a quarter of a million in advance," she continued as she placed a briefcase on the table. "The other quarter, I'll pay upon completion. Well…?"

Wordlessly, Hilda took the briefcase; the woman smiled. "Good. I wish you the best of luck," she said as she left the coffee shop, leaving the assassin and her handler inside.

"Any more info on the target?" Hilda inquired; if she were to do this right, she needed to know more. At the very least, though, she knew that her target went to a certain exclusive school along Katipunan Avenue – she'd recognize that uniform anywhere. She shook her head in disappointment; it seemed even the most prestigious school in the country was no exception with regard to the Fangire menace.

After a long silence and another cup of coffee, Rayne gave her the dossier. A smile formed on Hilda's face; this was gonna be easier than elementary-level math.

Meanwhile, in the shopping center at Cubao, Rock and Sirius were fighting off a mob of Fangires that apparently decided to go wild. Despite Steve's absence (Sirius tried to contact him, but he didn't seem to have gotten the text), their teamwork helped them clean house early on, leaving only two behind. Unfortunately, they decided to double-team Rock, who, while resistant at first, slowly but surely crumbled under the combined force of two Fangire. Sirius snorted in disgust as he prepared to finish them.

"_WAKE UP!_"

As his right leg armor turned into the bat's wings again, Sirius jumped up and landed a front kick to the first Fangire's chest, and, rebounding, attacked the second with a crushing axe kick to the head. As his leg armor resealed itself, the two Fangire shattered; Rock, injured, reverted to his human form. And to make matters worse, it was then that Sirius heard the sound of someone approaching. It was a woman, wearing a sleeveless longcoat and holding a familiar knuckle duster in her right hand. _No, it can't be…_

"Fangire." The woman said, as if addressing a piece of dirt at her feet. "God made the mistake of letting you live."

She then swept back her right arm and punched the ground. "_Ready,_" said a robotic voice. "Henshin!"

"_Fist on._"

A bronze figure encased her as she transformed into a familiar figure. Rock, lying on the ground, saw that it was the same armor as Steve's, save for the cross on her faceplate. _How…?_

Kiva met her charge full-force, trading blows that knocked both of them around, in the process causing a bit of collateral damage to the surrounding area. "Get out of my way!" she screamed at Sirius as she tried to get to Rock only to have him in the way. "That monster's a murderer! He deserves what he's gonna get!"

"That monster's my best friend," Sirius said quite calmly, despite the outrage pounding through his head. He had no reason to believe that Rock lied to him about not feeding on humans; he could've drained _him_ a thousand times. "And anyone who tries to hurt him – I don't care if she's a woman – is gonna get it from me!"

Unfortunately, as he said this, the woman sent him flying through a glass window into a clothing store; those inside fled the scene in terror. Meanwhile, she had finally gotten to Rock, who could do nothing but stare up at his executioner in grim acceptance. "Fangire," she said, raising her fist. "The lives you've taken… return them to God!"

But before she could drive her fist into Rock's helpless form, a blast of energy knocked her away. Rock turned to see who his savior was; it was Steve, who came running to him with a wild look on his face. "Sorry it took me so long!" he panted as he looked at Rock, who lay at his feet, and at Sirius, who had reverted due to fatigue.

Steve's expression was one of confusion; who could have done this to them? And as he looked around, it turned into a cold fury when he saw who their opponent was. It was the woman who somehow hijacked her own copy of the Ixa System. "You guys," he said, looking at both Sirius and Rock, "Better go now. This one's mine." He punched the Ixa Knuckle into his left hand. "_Ready._"

"Henshin!"

And as Steve transformed into Ixa, he stared down his female counterpart as a mixture of rage, fear and adrenaline rushed through his veins. He saw what this woman could do with the Ixa System, and was about to experience it firsthand. On the other hand… she hurt his comrades (they'd only really become acquainted with each other recently, but it was still the same to Steve), and he wasn't about to let that pass, right?

He let out a roar of fury as he prepared to charge the other white knight in what appeared to be a destined battle.

_She might be able to kick my ass, but it's an ass-kicking I'll have to take!_

tbc


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Ixa vs. Ixa

Two Ixa Systems, an avatar of judgment and an avatar of vengeance. One wielded it in order to bring justice upon the evil ones, while the other used its power to exact vengeance upon those she saw as monsters – even if they were monsters in but appearance. One wielder was a teenage boy with a promising future ahead of him; the other, a young woman who practically dedicated her life to crushing Fangires beneath her foot. And it was here, in a seemingly ordinary shopping district (at least, it was, until today) that these two contrasting and opposing forces would collide.

Unfortunately for Steve, it was going horribly. On paper, he should have had the advantage; the '86 prototype was limited to the basic Save Mode, while the latest model of the Ixa System had the much stronger, and more versatile Burst Mode. In practice, though… Steve was getting the tar stomped out of him. Any attack he made, any punch he threw at the other Ixa, was either dodged or intercepted with an even nastier comeback. And just then, the punch that hit him full-force in the face sent him crashing into the concrete wall behind him; he slid down it into a sitting position.

It dawned on him that she was an opponent he couldn't beat, at least not in his current state; her body had clearly and effectively been honed into a lethal weapon. Steve practiced boxing, but he had never gotten into real-life situations wherein he could apply his skills. And up against a professional Fangire Hunter… his prospects were bad.

He remembered his thoughts as he and his father watched the video of this woman fighting one of the monsters in the Katipunan LRT station. According to design specs, Save Mode was only a bit stronger than the average Fangire, but in her hands it was an unstoppable harbinger of their doom. _You're right, dad, Ixa really does turn the user into a one-man army,_ he thought. _And in the hands of a monster like her…_

Sirius and Rock could do little more than watch their comrade being punished. The only reason Sirius managed to hold his own against her, even for a while, was because of the advanced karate lessons he took – in particular, he excelled in sparring sessions, and wasn't too bad in actual fights either – but even his skills and experience paled in comparison to this woman's. Rock simply watched in horror; if this was who they sent to assassinate him, what chance did he have?

As he thought this, he passed out from injuries and exhaustion.

And so Steve no longer sought to defeat his opponent, but merely to hold out. He promised himself that if he made it out of this battle alive, he'd train night and day to surpass this woman. Even if he killed himself trying. He then looked up at his opponent, who inserted the Knuckle Fuestle into the belt after sweeping her right arm back. _If she puts it that way…_

He got to his feet, taking his own Knuckle Fuestle as adrenaline began to shoot through his system. A moment later, both belts announced:

"_Ixa Knuckle – Rise Up._"

Both of the white knights charged as they drew back their right fists, then threw an almighty punch. The impact of both Ixa Knuckles sent them flying backwards away from each other; Steve landed in a heap on the pavement while the woman somersaulted and landed on her feet. But then…

_Wha - ? EEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!_

She screamed and writhed in pain as steam began to shoot out of the Ixa belt. Apparently, this was one of the problems of the '86 model that they weren't able to rectify in time.

_This is what you meant, huh, dad…?_

Such was Steve's thought as he saw what was happening to his adversary. At least _his_ Ixa was programmed to warn him if he was overexerting himself. He watched as she fell to her knees, her armor disappearing. With a bitter look at the three of them, she ran off. Steve looked at Sirius, then at Rock's unconscious form. He reverted as he stood up, and, together with Sirius, walked towards their fallen friend. "We'd better take him to a hospital," said Steve. "I'm sure my dad won't mind."

"Who did this to him?"

It was Karina who asked the question later that afternoon, in the guest bedroom of Steve's mansion in the subdivision of White Plains. She stared out into the twilight as Sirius and Mao patted her on the back, attempting to comfort her. Indeed, who would be so cruel as to do this to Rock? True, he was a Fangire, but far from feeding on human lives, he fought to _defend_ them.

Sirius could only think of one group who wished him harm, but Kivat said that the woman wasn't one of the Queen's Riders. It was Steve who answered this.

"Obviously, it was a hired hit. Using our company's technology, no less," he added after a moment. "I think someone hired her to kill Rock. Sirius… Sir Mao," he asked, "Do you know anyone who'd want him dead?"

As a matter of fact, he did. But then, how could it be?

"Only the Fangire Queen –"

Steve's eyes widened in shock. "You're not joking, are you? Even if that were true, why would she have accepted?" And after a while, he added: "Does she even know who she's working for?" Somehow, the idea that the Queen of the Fangires would hire someone who hunted her kind was incredible. Mao, though, thought otherwise.

"I don't know," he said. "It sounds like the exact sort of thing she'd do, hiring someone to do her dirty work…" he trailed off bitterly; the memory of that battle with Lilith was clearly still on his mind. He wanted to settle with the Queen herself, but apparently she didn't feel up to the task, so she sent her underling instead.

"As for the Hunter not knowing who hired her, I suppose it's something called the need-to-know basis. After all," Mao looked at Steve, and then at Sirius, "She doesn't _need _to knowthat her employer happens to be the Queen, right? All she needs to know is that Rock's a Fangire…" he explained, a hint of resentment and anger in his voice. "That's reason enough for her to go after him."

Sirius sighed; as if the problem of regular Fangire attacks wasn't enough, now they had to worry about someone making attempts on his friend's life. Rock was capable of defending himself, yeah, but that woman was… He shuddered at the thought of them encountering her again. After a long silence, Steve spoke once more.

"We're gonna have to keep our guard up," Steve told the rest of them. "I doubt this'll be the last time they try, so better be ready, guys," he nodded at Sirius and Mao. "I'll defeat her myself… It's the least I can do." He looked at his Ixa Knuckle as he muttered. "I can't have her using our technology for this kind of thing!"

Meanwhile, at Hilda's place…

"He brought friends, Rayne."

Hilda was on the phone with Rayne, discussing her failed attempt at collecting the bounty. Nothing smelled right; not only did the target have friends defending him, she actually saw the two of them fighting off Fangires right in the middle of the shopping area. If he really attacked others, why would his fellow monsters be attacking _him_?

And on top of that, the other Ixa bothered her greatly. Supposedly, she was the only one who could use it, but now there was someone else wielding an upgraded version? It was by skill that Hilda triumphed over him; had they been equal in that regard, the boy would've beaten her for sure. To her surprise, though, Rayne giggled.

"Don't worry, Hilda," she reassured her. "Our client understood that the target wouldn't be easy to kill, which is why she paid you that much. Oh, by the way?" she added, "She says that you get an extra half-million if his two friends go down as well. Go get 'em for me, will you?"

Hilda smiled; the extra reward was merely icing for her. In any case, she was already planning to make them pay for giving her a hard time today. "I got you, Rayne. I'mma sleep now."

As she hung up, she decided that she'd wait a week to mount another attempt; it'd be best to lull them into a sense of security before going back on the attack. Besides, she had a rule when it came to killing Fangire: unless they proved dangerous enough, she wouldn't slaughter them like animals. To do so would only bring her down to their level.

Not to mention, she wanted payback on that boy who used Ixa against her…

tbc


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Doubts

Somehow, in spite of the wackiness that had suddenly taken over Sirius's life, there were certain things that he still needed to do, like taking a college entrance exam. As he failed both the ACET and the UPCAT (although, to be fair, neither was a walk in the park, as was fitting for the high-class colleges they were for), he was now to apply at San Beda College in Mendiola. It was the thought of transferring that he brooded on as he rode his motorbike, the Blood Fang, with Mizuna wrapping her arms around his waist.

Though Sirius kept both eyes on the road, in his mind he was cursing the circumstances that led him to this moment. See, it was only this year that he actually put effort into his studies; the past 3 years had him taking summer remedial classes which predictably didn't look too well on his record. And so, the price of slacking off for most of his high school life was separation from his comrades, most of whom _did_ make it to Ateneo. _Nice job breaking it, genius,_ thought Sirius bitterly. If only he'd taken his high school life a lot more seriously…

He thought of what Rock had said, that they'd be comrades no matter what happened. While it did ease his mind somewhat, it still rattled Sirius to be somewhere new. If all the stories he'd heard about people in the University Belt (which San Beda happened to be part of) were true, these guys would eat him alive. True, he was Kiva, but still, he shuddered at the thought.

"Sirius, we're here!"

Mizuna's voice recalled him to his surroundings. He looked to his left; _yep, this is it, alright_. The location of his possible new school, right in the middle of a noisy, air-polluted city, only served to dampen his spirits even more. He tried to shake these thoughts off as he approached the gate, managing a faint, brief smile as he turned to look at Mizuna for a moment. "Well, Mizuna, wish me luck, alright? Just hang around the area for a while," he said, giving her his wallet before entering. Following a mandatory inspection of his stuff, he was allowed through.

After a moment, though, Mizuna smiled as she pocketed the wallet, deciding to follow Sirius inside the campus. The guard's eyes were focused as she looked at him before passing; she didn't like showing strangers the contents of her handbag, and some idiot in a white uniform wasn't going to be an exception. See, as Princess of the Fangires' Mermaid Clan, she was gifted with psychic powers and control over water; the former, she milked for what it was worth. _Don't worry Sirius, I'll be watching over you…_

Two hours after Sirius and Mizuna entered, a young girl with pigtails attempted to enter. However, after taking one look at her outfit, the guard blocked her way. "Sorry, miss," he said, "But we have a dress code here." He pointed to a poster on the wall behind him: _No miniskirts allowed._ And unfortunately, the girl just happened to be wearing one. Nevertheless, she acted as though she hadn't heard, and continued on. "Wait –"

But as the guard tried to stop her, large fangs appeared and stabbed his shoulders, draining him dry. Shortly thereafter, two more girls entered, stepping over the glass-like corpse that lay on the floor in front of them. And after a moment, it shattered.

Meanwhile, at a nearby internet shop, Hilda was playing DotA; today was one of the rare breaks she had from hunting Fangires, and she welcomed it. When she wasn't on the hunt, she was just like any other young woman would be at her age – barring the shopping and the gossiping. Specifically, she liked to have fun, and treated herself as often as she could. With concentration akin to how doggedly she hunted down monsters, she pushed further and further into the enemy camp. But then –

Her phone rang; one look at it told her it was Rayne. "Fangire attack," she said as Hilda grumbled resentfully. "It's close to where you are now!" The phone went dead after that line.

_They never take a break, dammit!_

She paid for her rental fee as she sped out the door, cursing the situation. A Fangire attack, just when she was beginning to enjoy herself! She knew this was urgent and more important than her game, but still… _Oh well, guess I'll have to take it out on the monster, then!_

Inside San Beda, no sooner had the exams ended than Fangires begun appearing all over the place. People fled towards the exit in a panic, but the monsters still managed to catch a bare few stragglers in the waiting area just in front of the entrance, knocking them around the place like soccer balls. Mizuna, upon seeing this, brought both arms to her chest and crossed them as she closed her eyes. She didn't want to do it, but right now was a bit of an emergency, so…

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

She morphed from her human form into a naked, aqua-green skinned fishlike creature with finned arms and legs. When her metamorphosis was complete, a flood of water rushed towards Mizuna from behind. At a snap of her fingers, it solidified and formed itself into three humanoid figures with swords in their hands. With a low moan, they turned to their mistress for instructions.

"Get them!" ordered the Mermaid Princess, pointing at the Fangires. The water elementals then obeyed their summoner's command, leaping into the fray as they began to hack and slash at the supernatural creatures that were attacking.

A few seconds later, Sirius arrived on scene, horrified at the sight that greeted him. Most of the people had managed to escape, true, but there were an unlucky few who didn't, and lay bleeding all over the place. A fish-creature whom he recognized as Mizuna was managing to hold them off, but he didn't know how long it would last. Besides, it was unbecoming of a gentleman to leave a lady in a mess like this one – even if the lady in question happened to be a 120-year old Mermaid.

He raised his hand in front of him as Kivat sank his fangs in it. "Henshin!" Sirius shouted as the blood-red armor began to form itself around him once more.

Sirius, now clad in Kiva's armor, charged into battle just as Mizuna's summoned creatures managed to shatter one Fangire and were defeated by the other. He sent one of the Fangires flying with a punch to the right side of the head, then turned his attention to its fellow. A kick to the midsection, followed by an elbow strike to the head, sent it reeling; it yelped for mercy as Sirius continued stomping it into the ground. And when he felt that enough punishment had been meted out, he turned to Mizuna, who had reverted to her human form, and nodded.

Mizuna held out her palm. The next moment, she shot a high-pressure stream of water shot towards the Fangire, reducing it to its fragile state before she finished it off with a ball of water. Just then, though –

"Sirius, look out!" she screamed, seeing the other Fangire running at him from behind.

He turned around, but the Fangire never even got within striking distance as a blast of energy sent it flying into one of the support pillars, crushing it. It was that woman again, the same one who attempted to kill Rock! "You've got a lot to learn, kid," she said smugly as she punched the Ixa Knuckle into her right hand. "_Ready,_" said a robotic voice. "Henshin!"

"_Fist on._" A bronze figure appeared and merged with her, completing her change into Ixa as she stared at Sirius. "Let's finish this little bugger first," she said, referring to the Fangire; he nodded in acknowledgement. "Then we'll talk."

The two armored fighters advanced on the Fangire, who turned tail and ran. However, Sirius leapt over him and blocked his path, greeting him with a side thrust kick and sending him towards the woman. She followed this up with a shot to the head, compounded with some more blows before tossing him back to Sirius. And then it began all over again.

Before long, the Fangire could barely put up even a token resistance before the combined might of the two Riders. As the woman took out her Knuckle Fuestle and inserted it in her belt, Sirius did the same with his Wake Up Fuestle. It was time to end this once and for all.

"_Ixa Knuckle – Rise Up._"

"_WAKE UP!_"

Sweeping back her right arm, the woman charged at the Fangire with a battle cry as Sirius leapt into the air and aligned himself downwards at the enemy. A second later, her fist and his right foot hit the same spot on the Fangire's chest, blowing it to bits. With the battle done, both of them disengaged their transformations. The woman then put her hand on Sirius's shoulder.

"Kid, we need to talk."

tbc


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Supernova

That night, Hilda lay in bed, oblivious to the air-conditioned breeze kissing her face as she stared up at the ceiling. The work of a Fangire Hunter never seemed to end; even today, she was unceremoniously called out of her break to deal with another attack. It was a good thing that kid and his girl already took care of some of them before she arrived. It made her work a lot easier. Even then, though, she was spent – physically, emotionally, mentally.

More importantly, that the boy named Sirius defended his Fangire friend despite killing off the others confused Hilda; she was beginning to doubt their client now. Until then, the only Fangires she'd ever encountered were ones who attacked humans and fed off of their life energy, but her current target appeared to be an exception. _And if that's the case,_ thought Hilda, _Am I even right to be hunting him?_

She thought of the mysterious client who had hired her in the first place, and wondered whether she spoke the truth about the Fangire boy. Because from what Hilda had seen, the boy was anything but a threat – far from it, even. She didn't forget that, before she made herself known, he and Sirius were fending off the ones making sport of civilians in Cubao. If that was indeed the case, was she a murdering bitch for accepting the contract?

As she pondered this, images of a fateful event in her childhood flashed through her mind: a memory of herself and a woman who was mother to her, surrounded by Fangires. Another memory, this time of the said woman transforming into Ixa and defeating them one by one. Finally, a memory of the only mother she had ever known, dying from the toll the Ixa System took on her seemed to Hilda that her grudge against the Fangires couldn't and wouldn't just go away in a heartbeat.

_Sister Kaye… _thought Hilda as rolled over and lay on her right side. _Tell me… what should I do now?_

A moment later, she got her phone and texted Sirius, asking him to take his friends and meet her in McDonald's Cubao, near the place where they fought last time. This time around, she had no intention of fighting, but there was something she needed to know from them. They just might have an idea who her employer was, and what her true intentions were. Hilda had her own, unpleasant suspicions, and if they were true…

_Oh crap. Rayne!_

She texted Rayne as soon as the realization came to her; if her fears were true, their client would come after them next. "_Be careful, Rayne, don't let your guard down even for a moment!_"

The next day, Sirius, Steve, Rock and Mizuna were waiting in McDonald's Cubao for the mysterious Fangire Hunter. According to Sirius, she wanted to talk to all of them about her employer – specifically, she wanted them to share what they knew. Steve and Rock protested, but Sirius and Mizuna assured them this would be worth the time and effort. Besides, if she tried anything (though he highly doubted it) she'd have all four of them to deal with.

Half an hour passed; Steve and Rock had finished their food, and still she wasn't there. "Maybe she wimped out?" suggested Steve, laughing; he'd never quite gotten over being beaten by the Ixa prototype. "Guess she's not much –"

"I heard that, kid."

All four of them looked at the entrance, where stood a grinning, amber-eyed woman with her hair tied in a tail that fell just above her waist. Her attire, a light jacket worn over a white tanktop and maong pants in no way suggested that she was a Fangire Hunter, and one of the best, too. She smiled flirtatiously at Sirius (earning her a dirty look from Mizuna) as she approached their table; Steve's mouth fell open in a mixture of horror and resentment. "Name's Hilda, by the way," she introduced herself as she took her seat beside Sirius. "Lay it on me, then," she said, speaking to all of them.

It was Rock who obliged. He began by recounting his birth; that he had been born a Fangire but trained not to attack humans. He next provided a brief overview of Fangire society and its laws: that it expressly forbade the coexistence of Fangires and humans, and mercilessly executed violators of this law – Rock's parents, among others. He then concluded that they tried and failed to kill him too, and that they'd been making attempts on his life ever since.

Mizuna looked sympathetic; Steve, solemn. Hilda, torn between horror and remorse, bowed her head and asked for forgiveness in a low voice. "I'm sorry…" she muttered, almost to herself. "If I'd known who that woman was…"

"It doesn't matter, don't apologize," Rock smiled slightly. "If it wasn't you, she'd have hired someone else to come after me. She usually has others do the dirty work anyway –"

At that moment, the sound of screams started coming from outside. They turned toward the noise; quite a few of the monsters (which, funnily enough, reminded Sirius of a bunch of mosquitoes) were running wild again, attacking anyone and everyone they could reach. The party rushed outside; Kivat flew beside Sirius for a while before biting him. Steve and Hilda both took out their Ixa Knuckles ("We'll settle our score later") and punched it into their hands. "_Ready._" A moment later, all three shouted:

"Henshin!"

The three disappeared in a flash of light, replaced by Kiva, Save Ixa and Burst Ixa. Beside them, both Rock and Mizuna assumed their Scorpion and Mermaid Fangire forms, respectively. They charged their enemies with a loud cry, each one making the first attack.

It wasn't easy, but the battle was more or less going in their favor. Sirius and Rock were managing to fight their respective opponents on an even level, and were being assisted by Mizuna's covering fire. Steve managed to take on two at once, a sign of his steady improvement. And Hilda, of course, was practically wiping the floor with their enemies. As they watched her mercilessly pound away at one of the Fangire, the boys were relieved that she was on their side this time around.

A few more minutes later, both Steve and Hilda took out their Knuckle Fuestles and inserted it into their belts. Likewise, Sirius prepared for his own finishing attack. On the other hand, Rock and Mizuna stuck together, the latter keeping the monsters at bay with a barrage of water balls.

The three Riders jumped backwards, then charged back into the fray; Steve and Hilda obliterated their respective opponents with their Ixa Knuckles while Sirius leapt into the air and landed a flying front kick on one of the monsters. From there, he jumped back up and hit the remaining two Fangires with the same attack. And after a few moments, all three shattered as they reverted to their human forms. Just then, though, out of nowhere came the sound of applause.

It was the Queen, dragging a bound and gagged girl behind her.

_Rayne!_

Hilda was horrified as she saw her unconscious partner. Her worst fear _had_ come true: the Queen actually did kidnap Rayne from under her nose! "Her life for the Ixa Knuckles," the Queen announced, smirking. "If you so much as take a step toward me, I'll kill her!"

"You have five seconds to comply. One," she said mockingly, as she began the countdown. Sirius looked at Steve, who appeared angry, and at Hilda, who was downright furious. Hell, if that was Rock the Queen had in her dirty hands, he'd be pissed too. It escaped Sirius's mind just how some spineless coward could become Queen of her race.

"You actually sank that low, Your Highness?" Rock asked, disgusted. "So much for Queen-like behavior, then!"

But she ignored this. "Two."

"Bitch!" Hilda screamed; her knuckles were white as she stared, horrified, at the lifeless body of her best friend. She was one of the best Hunters in the world, but she was to be undone by a cowardly Queen who had to stoop to such tactics… the thought made her shake with barely suppressed rage. "Let her go!"

"Three."

Steve stood there, frozen. It went against his nature to just stand there while a known enemy , but with that girl's life hanging in the balance, there was no alternative. If he attacked, it could very well cost the girl her life; he didn't need Hilda to have a legitimate grudge against him, not when these monsters were causing enough trouble as it is. "Dammit…"

"Four," continued the Queen mockingly; she tossed Rayne's limp body in front of her as a sword appeared in her left hand. She raised it high; Steve and Hilda, who had no choice, prepared to toss their weapons over. But –

An orange blur collided with the Queen, sending her flying through a glass window a few feet away from Rayne, who he picked up and laid in front of Hilda. She knelt down and hugged her friend with tears in her eyes. "Thank you –"

The figure stood in front of Sirius for a moment before reverting to his human form: Sir Mao. Predictably, the boys were thunderstruck at this fresh revelation. Their teacher was a Fangire, too…?

"Look at you, Isabella," he spat. "Taking little girls as hostage – have you really lost the mediocre sense of morals you had?" He held out his hand. "This'll be our last," Mao addressed Kivat as he sank his fangs into the former's hand.

"Don't talk down to me!" screamed the Queen, who transformed into a lavender-colored, fragile-looking creature with butterfly wings. Mao perched Kivat on the belt's buckle after one last smile at his students. "Henshin."

Kiva's scarlet armor briefly enveloped itself around Mao's form. There was a flash of light; when it was gone, the armor had changed form. Instead of blood-red, Mao's armor was bright gold, with a scarlet breastplate and matching red eyes. Sirius's eyes widened in awe; he'd never seen this before. He wondered whether he could achieve this same power. Before he could take in what he was seeing, Mao charged the Queen, his right arm drawn back.

_At least I'll burn out as a supernova… At least I won't fade away…_

tbc


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Final Ascension

Isabella attacked first, launching volley after volley of black pearls at the golden Kiva, but Mao's reflexes were unnatural, even by Fangire standards; he dodged these attacks without much effort. Her next attempt came in the form of a blast of energy, but Mao merely swatted it aside with his cape, sending it into the air. Seeing that her long-range attacks had proved futile, the Butterfly Fangire conjured a pair of arm blades as she prepared herself for Kiva's assault.

"Mao, don't push it," warned Kivat severely. "Are you really planning on dying here!?"

The deposed King ignored this as he rushed the usurper queen, a red-and-gold blur that wove and blitzed around his target as he attacked her from all angles. Mao thought of his queen and his son (the latter of which was watching, eyes round as golf balls) and how this vile… creature robbed them of that which was theirs. More importantly, he thought of all the effort he put into ending Fangire violence against humans, and how this woman had undone it all. Needless to say, his blood, his entire being was screaming for Isabella's death.

It was bitterness and anger that fueled each of his blows as he mauled the Butterfly Fangire with brutality more befitting a beast. Those watching did so with a mixture of horror and awe; to Hilda, this man's power was such that even _she_, for all her skill as a Fangire Hunter, could never even dream of standing against. Steve, meanwhile, felt like wetting his pants right there. Up till now, he thought he was pretty good at fighting Fangires, but this guy – who even made Hilda look like an amateur – was hell unleashed.

But none were more shocked at the fight (although 'beatdown' was more like it) than Rock and Sirius, Mao's most beloved students; to them, it was like finding out one of their close friends happened to be a wanted criminal. Mao had always been a mild-mannered, even lighthearted fellow, and not one they knew to have a temper. To Rock, it was like something out of a nightmare!

Sirius, though, realized it made more than a bit of sense. After all, Mao _was_ the original Kiva before passing the armor on to him; that being the case, such power was actually fitting. Not that he thought his teacher was a wimp (far from it, in fact), but this was simply incredible, if a bit… scary. _He must've trained hellishly hard,_ Sirius thought. _But it's nothing I can't do, too! …At least, hopefully._

As for Mao, he was still fighting the Queen, though at this point it could hardly be considered a fight anymore. It was more like a long, drawn-out torture session; Isabella was practically begging for mercy by now. He started laughing to himself in a way that said plainly he had no intention of ending this soon. And, judging from what Kivat said the next moment, he noticed, too.

"What're you waiting for, Mao!?" demanded the bat. "End it already!"

As he said this, Mao kicked the fallen Queen, sending her flying through the air like a football; she crashed through the wall and into a nearby deserted shop. "Goal," he sneered gloatingly as he walked forward. "What was that, Kivat? Nah, I think she deserves to scream some more," he laughed sadistically. But –

_Urgghhhhh…! Why now…?_

Mao fell to his knees as he felt a stabbing pain in his chest once more; this time, it was at an intensity so great, he knew he didn't have much time left. Now with a newfound sense of urgency, he took out the Wake Up Fuestle and plugged it into the belt. Kivat announced, in a loud, enthusiastic voice:

"_WAKE UP FEVER!!_"

The golden Kiva that was Mao leapt into the air as he prepared to deliver a barrage of kicks to Isabella's fallen form, but…

_This can't be…_

Out of nowhere, a green-and-black Kiva insignia appeared, acting as a barrier upon which Mao's finished rebounded. He was sent flying backwards toward Sirius and friends; it was lucky he was able to land on his feet. All eyes were at the Kiva insignia that had appeared, blocking the Queen from view and from attack. And when it disappeared, even Kivat appeared aghast and horrified as he beheld what looked like a black-and-red bat, with yellow eyes.

His father, Kivangel: Kivat-bat the 2nd. Flying around Isabella, no less!

She stuck out her hand as she smiled evilly at Mao. "So sorry, looks like I underestimated you, Mao," she said. "It's the real thing from here on out, though." She added as Kivangel bit her hand, then flew and perched himself upside down on the dark belt that appeared around her waist. When the transformation ended, she was clad in a dark version of Mao's armor: black and red instead of gold, and green instead of red eyes.

"Dark Kiva, then…?" Mao muttered; it was his turn to be shocked. "I don't know how you managed to brainwash Kivangel, but I'll make you pay for that!"

The two Kivas then disappeared and reappeared all over the area, trading punches and kicks as their movements appeared to Sirius and company to be little more than blurs of gold and black. Looking at each other, Steve and Hilda were forcibly reminded of their own tussle a few days ago. It was funny how this one between Mao and the Queen was so similar, yet extremely different: a Kiva who sought to protect, up against a Kiva who sought to destroy. Only this time, the enemy indeed _was_ the enemy.

"Y'know, Mao, I'd hardly believe you were dying, from the way you're fighting!" exclaimed Isabella as she took a knee to the stomach and jumped backwards, reeling slightly. She then countered with a punch to Mao's face; he savored the stinging sensation on his cheek, knowing that this battle was to be his last – and, from how things were turning out, greatest.

They then disappeared and reappeared all over their battlefield; to an observer, it was as if there was a lightning storm, and the lightning actually decided to strike the same place multiple times. As one would expect, the two Kivas were equal in every way; perhaps the gold Kiva was even stronger, due to Mao not being at his peak. Kivat, who bore witness to it all, thought that it was probably pride that was all that kept him standing. Any other man with a disease such as the one Mao was struggling with in its advanced stage wouldn't even be standing, let alone fighting at such inhuman levels!

And, just then, the disease struck Mao for what would be one of the final times; seeing an opening, Isabella aimed a kick to his face that sent him lying facedown a few feet away. Sirius made to run to his teacher, but Mizuna laid a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.

"This is his battle," she said. "I know it looks stupid, but he wants to fight alone."

The two Kivas took out their respective Wake Up Fuestles once more, having decided that now was the time to end this. Mao got there first, though; before Isabella could invoke her own Wake Up attack, she was sent crashing into a nearby wall by a side thrust kick from Mao. And as she struggled to get to her feet, he leapt into the air. Then, kicking off from a red Kiva insignia that had appeared behind him, he launched the _final_ final blow he'd ever perform.

"_EMPEROR'S MOON BREAK!!_"

He launched himself as his feet met Dark Kiva's breast plate, and began pounding and kicking away; each kick sent Isabella deeper and deeper into the wall. Finally, when he felt that this had done enough damage, Mao kicked off her chest once more and flipped into the insignia behind him, using it as a springboard to launch a final corkscrew kick at the downed Dark Kiva. A small explosion rocked the area.

Isabella reverted to her human form with a scream of pain; with difficulty, she got back to her feet and wiped the streams of blood that were dripping from her lips. Kivangel began zooming all around her, and with a final smile at Mao and Sirius, they disappeared.

Mao fell to the ground, gasping for breath, as Kiva's armor dissolved.

"Sir Mao!"

Rock, Sirius and Mizuna ran to his side, holding him up even as they knew this was it for him. "H-hey, Sirius," he said weakly, smiling. "Pretty impressive, huh?" Blood trickled down his chin as he spoke these words. "Would you say… I went out with a bang?"

Sirius smiled back even as tears began to well in his eyes; this was Mao, alright. Even at the brink of death he still made jokes! "No, sir," he heard himself say in an unusual, hearty voice. "I'd say you went out with a fart…" In spite of themselves, all four of them, even Mao, laughed at this wisecrack, though their laughter died almost immediately.

The mortally wounded teacher raised his right hand and flicked Sirius on the forehead. "Idiot," he muttered. "I should kick you in the balls for that," he grinned weakly. "Seriously, though… At least I didn't go down like some punk, right?" he looked at Sirius, then Rock, then Mizuna; all three shook their heads. "Good. Well… At least I got my dramatic exit right…"

Mao's arms and legs began to turn into stained glass, as all Fangires' bodies did at their deaths. "It's… almost time," his voice was just barely above a whisper now. "Don't get too weepy, Sirius… guys," he looked up around them. "I prefer this than dying in a bed. It's… like they said, right?" He smiled brightly at Sirius in particular as his head, too, turned into stained glass. "It's better to burn out than fade away… my son."

And with a low groan, Mao's body shattered, leaving behind a sealed envelope; the breeze blew away what was left of him.

tbc


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Breakdown

It was as if he too had died; his mind seemed to have been wiped of all thought and capacity for it. Sirius felt icy and numb as he stared at the glass shards of Mao's remains in his hand for a whole minute. It couldn't be true, this wasn't happening, the shards in his hand were fake –

"Sirius," Mizuna spoke in a gentle, sorrowful, yet sympathetic voice as she put her hand on his shoulder. "Come here –"

But to her and everyone else's shock and bewilderment, Sirius slapped the hand away. He brought his hands, still holding what was left of his teacher, to his eyes. Mao was gone. Dead. Burned out AND faded away, despite his last words. He turned to the heavens and let out a scream, a long, terrible note of despair, horror and grief, as tears fell from his eyes like rain. _This shouldn't have happened at all! If only I'd been strong enough to take on her myself…_

And when the chains materialized around his waist, Kivat bobbed up and down in midair, clearly alarmed. Likewise, Mizuna gasped in horror; this was what Mao had been afraid of, apparently: that Sirius would lose control over his death. Not that this wasn't part of the plan – it was – but this was also the part that had the extra-large risk of going horribly and completely wrong. "No… Sirius, you mustn't…!"

"What's happening to him, Kivat??" demanded Rock, worried. This looked like what usually came up with the protagonists of action-oriented anime; in particular, Son Goku and Dragon Ball Z came to mind. And if that was the case… this wasn't gonna be pretty.

"That golden form Mao was using earlier?" began Kivat. "It's called Emperor Form. Those chosen to become Kiva can achieve it in times of need, or after an emotional upheaval. Thing is…"

As he was speaking, though, he was pulled to the belt by an unknown, irresistible force. "…What're you waiting for!?" Kivat screamed at the lot of them, just as the golden armor began to form around Sirius. "Transform already!"

Too late, though. As Sirius's transformation into Emperor Kiva was complete, he turned to look at his friends, and let out a low, feral growl. In particular, he dashed at Mizuna, who had transformed into her Mermaid form, kneeing her in the gut; fortunately, Steve and Hilda caught her. After making absolutely sure she wasn't too hurt, they both transformed into their respective versions of Ixa, in an attempt to calm Sirius down.

"Get a hold of yourself, bruh!" pleaded Rock, who was on his back as one of Sirius's feet pinned him down. "Sir Mao wouldn't want – AUGHH!" Apparently, saying Mao's name only made it worse; no sooner had Rock uttered it than Sirius stomped on his face as he roared, turning their blood to ice. It was all Mizuna could do to watch, tears flowing down her cheeks as well. It wasn't so much that he hurt her just now, but that it broke her heart to see him in such evident pain. _You didn't see this coming, did you, Mao?_ She thought, despairing.

The Ixas weren't much better off, either. Hilda was trying, and failing to defend Steve from Sirius, who turned his berserk rage on him. Even together, the currently out-of-control Emperor Kiva was beyond their power to handle; in addition to the vice-like grip around his neck, Steve could almost feel his armor creaking under pressure as Sirius choked the life out of him. Hilda wasn't much luckier, either, as he began stomping on her as if she were a dance pad at the arcade.

A moment later, he dropped Steve, who clutched at his neck in agony, beside her. Far from done, he then turned back to Mizuna, who was paralyzed with fear as he approached. "P-Please, Sirius, no more… Okay?"

Sirius's foot was just a few inches away from her face before stopping dead and being set back on the ground. He looked down at Mizuna, shaking all over, and, with difficulty, spoke her name. A moment later…

"EEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!"

After one last, piercing, agonizing scream, he fell to the ground lifelessly as Kiva's armor dissolved.

Later that night, having been healed by Kivat, the gang gathered around Sirius's bed. They had every reason to resent him for trying to beat them within an inch of their lives, but they couldn't bring themselves to. For one thing, he clearly wasn't himself; as Kivat explained, the first transformation into Emperor Form almost always involved going berserk. And even then, who _wouldn't_ go berserk after seeing someone who was like a father (and in fact, WAS) to him die in front of his eyes?

"That is the most fucked up plan I've ever heard," said Rock in disgust as Kivat explained, in detail, Mao's super grand master epic plan (as he called it). True, if _he_ had a terminal illness, he wouldn't be content with dying a natural death, either. Like Mao, he'd want to go down dramatically – as Mao put it, he'd want to burn out rather than fade away. But to scar the life of someone who loved him as nothing less than a surrogate father…?

Rock had nothing more to say. Beside him, Mizuna was thinking the exact same thing; in fact, she voiced out her vehement objections to Mao when he first let them in on the plan. He didn't exactly blow them off, but he let them know in no uncertain terms that he _was_ going through with it, and nothing was gonna stop him. "If he weren't already dead, I'd probably kill him myself," she muttered bitterly.

She knew that he meant well (in fact, Mizuna recalled that Mao asked her, specifically, to take good care of Sirius), but that didn't stop her from being angry. If she was Sirius, she'd probably have reacted the same way, too; that it was part of some big, stupid plan wouldn't help at all. Sure, the objective of getting him to achieve his most powerful form wasn't bad at all, but Mao went about it in the worst way possible.

"Come on now, guys, he definitely had a reason for doing it…" began Kivat, though his tone of voice made it clear he didn't approve of what Mao did either. "If nothing else, we should take comfort that he died the way he deserved and not like just another punk!"

Rock looked as though he was gonna argue, but thought better of it. He remembered the triumphant grin on Mao's face, moments before he shattered; it was the look he'd expect to see on a child who got a rather nice toy for his birthday. Seconds passed before he spoke again. "So… Kivat," he asked, "How long will Sirius be out?"

Kivat hesitated. "Well," he started, "Anywhere from two days to a week, depending on willpower and other factors. Mizuna, look after him, alright?" he added, looking at the still teary-eyed Mermaid Princess. She nodded.

Meanwhile, in the living room of a certain mansion within New Manila, a young woman sat on a couch, watching TV together with a white bat that perched herself on the sofa beside her mistress. She sighed; all that was on tonight was utter garbage – she wasn't one to watch soap operas, unlike most girls of her age. She wanted more… action-oriented material, like the shounen anime she was rather fond of. True, she saw action all the time, but she surprisingly never tired of it. There was nothing like a good fight to keep her blood pounding. That she fought for the good of the Fangire Race only spurred her further.

Speaking of a fight… supposedly, the Queen was supposed to engage in a duel with the former King today, at a location she refused to tell the young woman. According to Her Highness, it was an affair between them and them alone – not that she would insist on coming along, anyway. If the Queen said it, it was definitely right. Right?

Just then, though, the mansion doors burst open as a woman in black staggered inside, badly hurt; the girl got up off the couch to assist her. "Your Highness!" her eyes widened in horror as they assessed the extent of the Queen's injuries. "What on earth happened!!?"

As the young woman laid Isabella down on the couch she had occupied earlier, the Queen smiled weakly; she coughed up a little blood as she did so. "If he weren't already dying, I'd probably have been killed," she observed as though commenting on the weather. "I actually had to summon Kivangel, can you imagine, Eliza…?"

Eliza's eyes widened as Kivara fluttered around excitedly; she couldn't believe it. Usually, Isabella's Fangire form was enough to deal with whatever threat came her way. But if she was forced to transform into Dark Kiva, that would mean –

"Exactly, Eliza," laughed Isabella as she observed the younger woman. "Mao _was_ that strong. And there's no reason not to believe his son won't grow to be just as, if not stronger. Still," she continued, a hint of regret noticeable in her voice for the first time, "I wish he died by my hand. I didn't want his illness to get to him before I did."

Eliza smiled. This was exactly what she had come to expect from Her Highness: a streak of pride and self-reliance that was perfect for a Fangire of her stature. She had little respect for Queens who sat back and had others carry out the dirty work for her. _This_ Queen, on the other hand… she actually went out to do certain things herself. "Hey, listen Eliza," Isabella beckoned her closer after a moment. "I've got a job for you."

Eliza obeyed. A few moments later, a grin formed on her lips as she relished the task that had been given to her. This was going to be fun, indeed.

tbc


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Nightmares

Greenhills, a place that never slept. By day, it was a bustling shopping center; from clothes to books to even pirated DVDs and VCDs, it had everything one could possibly be looking for. By night, it was one of the many places in Metro Manila where people could just bounce around and enjoy the nightlife. Wherever one looked, there were bars, nightclubs and fast food joints, all open 24/7, where any insomniac could get wasted all night long.

That Eliza was here tonight was a rare, sweet treat. Normally, being one of only four enforcers of the Fangire race demanded all her time and energy, but the death of the deposed King meant a rest day of sorts for her and her fellow Riders. Let it be known, though, that Eliza liked what she did and was proud that her actions were contributing to the good of her race. Still, a break was very, very welcome.

And so she was here, drinking Heineken one of the many open air bars while reflecting on her life so far. Specifically, she remembered why she had joined up in the first place. Eliza and her little sister, Victoria (Ria for short) had been orphaned when she was but 8 years old, losing both their parents to the Ixa System. Life onwards was hell for them, in every sense of the word; just to make sure Ria had food to eat each day, she took it upon herself to earn a living… as a prostitute.

Eliza smiled ironically; this place, Greenhills, was the very same place she would hang around each night waiting for prospective 'customers'. The arrangement went on that way for 2 years until a kindly old couple took them in. To the sisters, it was a new lease on life.

Alas, it wasn't meant to be. One ominous Sunday, Eliza's foster parents were killed by a gang of thugs, and her sister raped and murdered before her eyes. That shock was what did it; that moment, the girl was replaced by a stained-glass monster that she reduced the murderers into glass corpses that shattered.

And, right on cue, _she_ appeared. Isabella.

"Humans… it seems all they care about are their twisted desires," she observed, holding the crying Eliza close to her. "Your family didn't deserve to die, child. If it weren't for them," Isabella gestured at the glass corpses strewn around them, "You'd probably have a happy, normal life right now."

Eliza cried even harder at this; the older woman patted her on the head. "We can't change the past. No one can," she noted mournfully, hugging her more tightly. "But what we can do is make sure this doesn't happen again. Do you want to join me?" Isabella asked the young girl.

A moment later, Eliza looked up and nodded.

"Hey, girl, it's a bit late, go home already."

She woke with a start as an elderly man gently slapped her on the shoulder; she'd fallen asleep on the bar! "S-Sorry, sir!" Eliza apologized profusely as she picked up her handbag and left the area. It was a bad habit of hers; if she drank too much, she fell asleep on the spot.

Then, suddenly, there came a terrified scream. Eliza sighed; nevertheless, she ran to whoever it was.

It came from one of the less-traveled streets in the area, where a girl was being attacked by a posse of four men, two of whom transformed into Fangires. She kicked and struggled vainly as the one pinning her down ripped her skirt off, grinning manically as he did so. She looked up at her attackers in horror and defiance; she was going to die here, for sure. But she wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of having had their way with her.

At the sight, Eliza was forcibly reminded of her own situation when she was much younger. Even worse, she remembered Victoria's anguished cries and screams as the men violated her before snuffing out her life. But it was more unforgivable this time since the ones responsible were Fangires, like her. She wasn't about to let this go unpunished. Reluctantly, she remembered what Mao had told her once before: "_Ask yourself if this really is the way to go. Are so different from humans that we need to suck them dry?_"

_It seems you weren't just shooting your mouth off, then, Your Majesty._

"You'll die anyway, bitch," he addressed her the way he would a cockroach at home. "But we'll kill you quicker if you – just – stop – what the hell??!" He blurted out as a white bat with red eyes began swooping down on him, biting him here and there. In their confusion, they released the girl, who ran over to Eliza. "Better run," she told the girl, giving her a 500-peso bill. "That should be enough to go home."

As the girl disappeared from view, Eliza turned her attention once more to the rogue Fangires in front of her. "You punks are gonna pay for that," she spat angrily as Kivara bit her neck, causing her Fangire markings to appear on her face. "Henshin!"

A flash of light later, Eliza was gone, replaced by Lilith, Rider of Pestilence. She brandished her sword at the ruffians, who involuntarily recoiled in horror. "A-Aren't you one of the Queen's knights!?" one of them demanded, his voice quaking with fear. "We haven't done anything wrong!"

"You ain't got nothing on us!" his fellow added. Eliza ignored this as she pointed the tip of her blade at them.

"Haven't done anything wrong, huh?" Eliza retorted, hearing the cold fury in her voice. It was true that what they had been doing _technically_ wasn't a crime, but she had no intention of letting anyone else experience what she and her sister had. "Yes, I _am_ one of the Queen's knights, which means I'll decide whether to punish you or not…" After a moment, she took out one of the Fuestles on her belt, and added, "_Mene thecel phares._" _Thou art weighed in the balance and found wanting._

In other words, a declaration of their deaths.

"_PHANTASMA!_" announced Kivara as the Fuestle sounded; three copies of Lilith emerged around Eliza, evening the odds. The Liliths then surrounded the rogues, their swords at the ready. "Just wait," growled the rogues' apparent leader, resentfully. "If the Queen finds out about this, you're dead."

Eliza's reply was one word: "If." With that, the Liliths attacked.

Meanwhile, in Burgundy, Mizuna replaced the wet towel over Sirius's forehead; his skin was burning due to fever. She'd been watching over him for the past three days as he recovered from the strain of unlocking Emperor Form, not to mention the loss of his teacher. And when his sleep grew fitful, she rocked him gently, patting his head as she did so.

"It'll be alright, Sirius," she would say. "I'm here."

In a nutshell, Mizuna was his lover, mother and sister, all rolled into one. True, Mao had promised Sirius to her since day one, but she'd probably have fallen for him anyhow. He was smart, yet innocent; shy, yet amiable. And he managed not to have the less likable traits his father possessed, like his tendency to screw around with people around him (his 'epic' plan being the greatest example of that). As she thought these things, she silently cursed Mao's name. Not one day had passed without her blaming him for what state his son was in right now.

At that moment, Sirius began to moan softly; here came the nightmares again. Mizuna just watched him anxiously, hoping to heaven that he'd get better soon. Mao had said he'd be able to handle this, that he would never force Sirius into something that was beyond him. _You'd better hope this isn't beyond him, Mao,_ she thought. _If it is… Fuck our contract with you, I'll go to wherever you are and kill you again._

Meanwhile, the Fangires cowered as Eliza and her illusions quickly overwhelmed them; now they realized why she was the Rider of Pestilence. She slid her hand up her blade as her illusions disappeared, snorting derisively. "It's pretty easy being a bully, isn't it, boys?" she asked, mockingly, as she pulled out her Wake Up Fuestle. "But apparently you're all just one big disappointment!"

"_WAKE UP!_" announced Kivara as Eliza plugged it into the belt. She was done playing now; it was time to take out the trash.

After having Kivara bite her blade, Eliza disappeared from view. Her opponents were wondering what was going on, when suddenly one of them shattered as she slashed through his chest. A moment later, the one next to him suffered the same fate. Soon, only the leader, who had reverted to human form, remained; he was practically pissing his pants as he stared at the white Rider whose blade was an inch from his neck. "P-Please, no…"

Eliza withdrew the blade; the man, thinking he had been granted a reprieve, ran away as fast as he could. As she watched him scamper away like a cockroach, Eliza stabbed her sword into the ground. A white ball of energy formed in her right hand, which she kicked high into the air. Finally, she jumped off the hilt of her sword, kicking the ball into the fleeing criminal, who was consumed by the subsequent explosion.

"Serves you right…" muttered Eliza as she reverted to human form, Kivara flying around her.

tbc


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: The Reveal

_It was a moonless night. Sirius found himself in some throne room shrouded in near-complete darkness, broken only by the dim lights coming from the chandeliers. He had no idea why he was here, or where this place was; this was something he'd expect more from a place like a mansion or a castle. Despite the darkness, he saw enough of the place to know that whoever lived here was either very important, very rich, or both._

_Then, for the first time, he took notice of the silhouette seated on the throne, whose face was hidden by shadow. Lightning struck, illuminating his face; it was someone Sirius least expected to be dressed in such an outfit, but whose face he'd recognize no matter what. But it couldn't be… he was supposed to be dead… right?_

"_Sir Mao?" he asked blankly. "Is that you?"_

_Mao stood up at the mention of his name and walked up to him, transforming into Emperor Kiva and subsequently engulfed in black flames. When they subsided, he had gone from Emperor to Dark. Likewise, Sirius felt himself being encased in the golden armor. Meanwhile, Mao had taken a fighting stance…_

"Sirius, get a hold of yourself…" Mizuna whispered, worried at the sight of him whimpering. "It's just a dream, it's not real…"

Here it was again, one of his fits. Moonlight shone across his bed into the room as he struggled and whimpered, while she watched. Mizuna did anything and everything to calm Sirius down, but nothing came close. It was true, as Mao said and as Kivat reminded, that this was part of the plan. Still, though, it wasn't exactly easy or pleasant to watch; Sirius normally didn't whimper and moan like a small child, so this was… the word was at the tip of her tongue, but she didn't like it.

Desperate, she crawled on top of Sirius's prone form until they were almost nose to nose. "Be quiet, now…" she whispered, almost inaudibly. "This won't hurt in the least."

And then, at that moment, the door burst open. Mizuna sat up on Sirius's crotch and turned toward the sudden interruption, the look on her face that of a child who'd just been denied candy… that slowly turned into one of that same child caught in wrongdoing. Standing at the doorway were Karina and Rock, both with identical blushes and looks of complete shock. A moment later, though, Rock roared with laughter; Karina, meanwhile, let out an almighty scream of fury.

"Err…" the Mermaid spluttered sheepishly, "I-It's not what you guys think…"

"Y'know Mizuna," said Rock, mildly amused, "If you wanted to have your way with him, you could wait until he's actually _conscious_? So he can enjoy it?"

But before she could answer, Karina crossed the room in three strides and slapped her across the face with all the strength she could muster. Mizuna relished the stinging pain on her cheek for a moment, then looked her full on the face; her expression was bloody livid. The Mermaid Princess grinned with what was supposed to be an apologetic look, but judging from how the look of rage on Karina's face hardened, it probably came across as more of a sneer.

"Last time I checked he wasn't yours," growled Karina. "And you'll have to get past me if you want to rape him in his sleep…!" she added, more threateningly.

Mizuna was about to sneer back when she sensed something out the window. A moment later, someone – a woman, judging from the voice – screamed as she pointed a finger that way. She got off Sirius and off the bed as she opened the window and put one leg over it. "Rock," she said, "Take care of him first, alright? I've got… an errand to run."

She then dove facefirst into the ground, using her telekinetic powers to slow her descent so she could land on her feet. When she looked up, it was the face of Lilith that greeted her.

"Nice entrance," grinned Lilith, mockingly clapping her hands. "But next time, try to wear a bit more clothing?"

Mizuna looked down at herself, then flushed a deep shade of scarlet; she was wearing nothing but a tanktop and panties! Nevertheless, she settled her expression into one of politeness as she smiled at the white Rider. "What brings you here at this time of night, Lilith…?" she inquired evenly. "If you went to kill him, forget it. No _fucking_ way in hell, girl!"

She stretched out her hand as Kivat bit it, allowing her to don Kiva's armor. The deep crimson of Kiva's default form appeared for a moment before Mizuna assumed Basshaa form – her own. In her hands were a pair of twin handguns, which she twirled and pointed at Lilith. "Better run now," she spat as she fired off a warning shot that missed Lilith by a hair. "I'm in an especially crummy mood."

The white Rider didn't answer, instead opting to charge her, yelling as she brandished her sword intimidatingly. At point-blank range, just as she raised it to strike, the Mermaid let loose a blast from her Basshaa Magnum, which changed form into a shotgun. Startled, Lilith dropped the blade as MIzuna elbowed her in the back, sending her facedown into the pavement. That instant, the Basshaa Magnum transformed again, this time into an assault rifle of sorts. Mizuna then followed up with more shots that spread all over Lilith's body, eliciting moans of agony.

"No one can use this like I can," gloated the Mermaid. "You just _had_ to piss me off at the worst possible time…" She aimed the Basshaa Magnum at the downed Lilith, preparing to unload once more. But -

"_PHANTASMA!_" announced Kivara suddenly.

Before Mizuna knew it, there were five Liliths surrounding her, slashing and hacking away all over. Her form was best suited for long range, being barely average where physical strength and agility were concerned. All five kicked her in the gut; she was sent flying at least ten feet away as if she were a football, and as if that kick had been a game-winning goal. She got to her feet, cursing to herself.

"_Basshaa Bullet Time!_" she cried, flicking her wrist as the Magnum became a pair of handguns once more.

Time seemed to have slowed as Mizuna took aim and fired, taking careful aim to hit each Lilith in vital areas. The illusions then shattered one by one, the same way vanquished Fangires did; soon, only the real one was left. She fell to her knees, clutching her planted sword for support.

"I win," Mizuna sneered arrogantly as she held her namesake weapon in its assault rifle form, having Kivat bite it.

"_Basshaa Full-Auto!_"

Tucking it under her arm, she held down the trigger as a steady barrage of water bullets rained down on Lilith, injuring her to the point of negating her transformation. Eliza struggled in vain to get up, her entire body immobilized by pain. "That was for my clan," Mizuna talked down to her. "I'm letting you live since I've got a message for your Queen," she informed the fallen Rider. "Tell for me: next time, she's not getting off easy."

Victorious, the Mermaid turned her back on Eliza as she went back inside Burgundy, taking the elevator to the second floor. When she entered, both Rock and Karina sat on chairs beside Sirius's bed as he slept like a baby. They looked at Mizuna as she entered; Rock, with a smile on her face, Karina, with a scowl. "We're still not yet finished," the latter told her coldly. "You've got another thing coming if you think you can molest him that way!"

At this, Mizuna merely smirked.

_Exhaustion caught up with both Kivas as they reverted to their human forms; specifically, Mao fell over. Sirius, meanwhile, dropped to one knee as he faced his deceased teacher. Even in his dreams, and even with Emperor Form, Mao was still a force to be reckoned with. Both master and student laughed out loud as they rolled on to their backs; the hall seemed to ring with their laughter._

_When it died down, Sirius was the first to speak. "You've still got it, sir," he said, happy to see his teacher again – even if only as a specter of sorts. "Don't tell me… do I have to die to be that strong!?" he asked as a joke. But, to be sure, Mao really was that good; so much so that the Queen, even in Dark Kiva form, couldn't finish him. If not for his disease, he could've even won that fight._

_Mao chuckled; in the silence of the hall, Sirius could hear it loud and clear. "Don't be silly, child," he scolded him gently. "You actually are strong, otherwise you wouldn't be Kiva at all, right?" he laughed. "Hell, you even managed to go Emperor!"_

_And after a few moments of silence, he continued._

"_While we're on the subject," Mao began, "I've got some… explaining to do, Sirius," he finished, in a somewhat guilty tone that puzzled him._

"_I'll tell you everything."_

tbc


	20. Chapter 20

**Act 3: Performance**

Chapter 20: Supernova – Rewind

In an empty room, at a certain office in Ortigas city, two Ixas in Burst Mode were battling it out, trading punches and kicks with each other. They were evenly matched at first, but one of them managed to gain the upper hand, knocking the other away with a punch. The one on the ground writhed in pain and gasped for breath; sparring was really tough when his opponent was a hired killer. Just then, both the young man and the other fighter turned to the door, where a man in middle age clapped his hands.

"Steve," he called to his son, who had gotten to his feet upon seeing him, "Try this out!"

He then tossed a cellphone-like device over to Steve, who caught it with his right hand. He then dialed a number: 1 – 9 - 3.

"_Rising..._"

Steve's father let out an awed gasp at what he was seeing…

A week had passed, but Sirius was still as unresponsive as ever. Though his friends tried not to worry too much, it was easier said than done. Both Mizuna and Kivat stated that Mao's last plan had the risk of going completely wrong at multiple points, and they had good reason to pray this wasn't one of them. Rock laid off the DotA a bit so he could help watch over his friend; as he told Mizuna, she deserved a break every now and then. Karina, too, brought in a sleeping bag – not just to watch over Sirius, but to make sure the Mermaid Princess (as she called herself) didn't try anything funny.

Today, though, all three of them went out to chill, for a change. As Rock said, it wasn't healthy to lock themselves up in that room; Sirius wouldn't want them to become recluses for his sake, at any rate. Besides, Lupin and Kivat offered to take over for today, so it was all good. Their next stop: the cinema.

However, a slightly more grisly scene took place in another area, just outside the mall. Bodies lay dead all over the floor, every one of them transparent and drained of life. In their center stood a man, clad in dark armor vaguely reminiscent of Kiva. However, this one had a more decidedly evil look, sporting horns on his head and an unwieldy scythe as his weapon. He bowed his head for a moment.

"_Kiva's friends are there. You know what to do, Arc,"_ said the Queen's voice in his head. He felt a grim sense of pleasure as he set out to carry out his orders.

Meanwhile, Mizuna treated the gang to lunch at one of the many restaurants in Eastwood, a Japanese place called Café Momotaro, known for its coffee. Not that everything else was bad, though; not counting the stuff the three of them shared, Rock ordered at least three platters of sushi while the women chowed down on bento after bento after bento. Mizuna looked up at Karina as they finished their third. "Hey, won't you get fat?" she asked, curious. "I mean, I compensate by working out, how about you?"

But the Mermaid Princess just grinned. "Karina, if you can live a hundred years, not gaining weight is a piece of cake. Besides," she added, "I go for nightly swims in the pool at Mao's house. You guys should visit there sometime!" she invited. "Maybe when Sirius wakes up? Wait," she said suddenly as she heard the opening lines of the next song played over the sound system. "I know this one."

_Kobore ochiru suna no youni dare mo toki tomerarenai _

_Sono sadame okasumono, boku ga __(ore ga)__ keshite miseru kanarazu.._

"It's Sirius's theme song," she said quickly as both Rock and Karina looked at her, perplexed. "He listens to it, like, what? Ten times an hour? He's a Japanophile, that kid," she noted fondly, eyes misty. "You should see the stuff he has in his hard drive! It's full of anime and… other stuff," the Mermaid trailed off, flushing a shade of bright red.

Five minutes later, a finger tapped her on the shoulder: it was the waiter. "Oh, right!" Mizuna remembered, taking her credit card out of her purse. "Bill, please!" She handed over the credit card when the bill arrived; a moment later, it came back along with the receipt. The waiter bowed them out as they left the place, handing each of them a mask that looked more like a red bra, the 'cups' shaped like the halves of a peach. "Thank you for dining, please come again!"

They'd barely been out for five minutes, though, when a Fangire attacked. This one was the Tiger Fangire, judging from his striped orange color scheme. Rock likewise assumed his own Fangire form while Mizuna raised her hand to the sky. "Kivat!" she called. "Let's go!"

But he didn't come. Mizuna let out a sigh of resignation as she became the Mermaid Fangire, her hands lengthening into claws to be better suited for melee combat. She cocked her head sideways at Rock. "Take care of her, alright?" she reminded him, referring to Karina. "Leave this guy to me."

It was clear that she wasn't that good at close quarters combat, seeing how the Tiger manhandled her like she nothing. Each punch she threw, assuming it hit, barely even fazed him. It was all but over when he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her into the air, strangling her.

"Urk…!" Mizuna choked, gasping for breath. This was one of the reasons she didn't take it _too_ hard when Mao barely used her form back when he was Kiva. Long-range was her specialty; if the enemy managed to get up close and personal, she was pretty much screwed. Through the agony of the mounting pressure on her throat, she managed to notice the fire hydrant right behind her tormentor.

_There we go!_

The Mermaid Princess focused all of her attention and will onto the hydrant, which began to shake violently. After a few moments, it erupted; the blasts of water issuing upward from the destroyed hydrant condensed and turned into water balls that crashed into the Tiger Fangire's back, causing him to release her. He backed away from them, clearly wounded, but not enough to kill him; that attack was slightly weaker in her Mermaid form than if she was using Kiva's powers. "I've served my purpose here…"

Before any of them could react, the Fangire leapt off and out of sight. "I don't like that," said a new voice, this one belonging to a young boy clad in a sleeveless shirt and shorts. "Oh, well… Guess I'll have to settle for you, instead…" he grinned maniacally as a gray, sickly-looking Kivat bit him on the neck. "…Henshin."

To Mizuna's horror, the figure that emerged was… _him_. Those horns, that scythe… were those of the very same person who massacred her clan: Arc, the Rider of Death. Once the transformation was complete, he tossed the scythe at her. "Give my regards to your clan…" he said smugly. She was rooted to the spot by fear, unable to move a muscle.

But then the scythe was flung back to its owner, having been parried by someone. "Just as a warning," said a familiar voice. "If you so much as lay a finger on these guys, it'll be the last thing you ever do." Mizuna opened her eyes, unable to believe the evidence of her senses. It was Sirius, holding the Garulu Saber in his left hand! _No wonder Kivat wouldn't come earlier,_ she thought.

Sirius then raised his hand, in which Kivat sank his teeth. "Henshin!" he shouted as he transformed into Kiva form momentarily before assuming Emperor form. Kivat then flew off the belt as a golden Fuestle floated in front of his mouth. The bat then blew it, causing a rather… grand tune to sound. Then came the a buzzing sound as something flew towards them.

All Mizuna could say was one word. "Tatsulot."

"Hi hi! Thanks for waiting!" chimed a small, golden dragon that zoomed around the golden Kiva, to the awe of the three behind him. "Let's get this show started, shall we!? _Tension fortissimo!_" he then landed on Sirius's right wrist.

"We didn't see that last time, Mizuna…" Rock observed. "What's with that dragon thing?"

"Tatsulot?" she asked. "Simply put, he's a power limiter. I mean… sure, Emperor form's powerful by itself, but he needs to be able to control that power and use it against his enemies, right? Without it," she explained, "He'll go berserk again. Emperor form tends to mess with the heads of those unprepared to use it. Not to mention it lets him use our special attacks…" she added, after a moment.

The Emperor Kiva walked slowly toward his opponent, whose giant scythe changed into two smaller ones which he held in each hand. This was going to be something, for sure. It would be the first time Sirius would actually get to use this power…

tbc


End file.
